Cibrarp  of  Che  Cheolo^ical  ^emmarjc 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 

PRESENTED  BY 

Delavan  L.  Pierson 

F  3  7  0 
.C5S54 


♦ 


* 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/waysofahsincornpo00shep_0 


AH  SIX’S  CITADEL 

Where  “highbinders  stalk  their  prey — dainty  slave  girls  bound 
in  shackles  by  Ah  Sin  are  forced  to  give  themselves  over 
to  lives  of  shame  .  .  .  and  the  accursed  juice  of  the  poppy 
passes  surreptitiously  from  hand  to  hand." 


The  Ways  Of  Ah  Sin 

A  COMPOSITE  NARRATIVE 

OF 

THINGS  AS  THEY  ARE 


By 

CHARLES  R.  SHEPHERD,  Th.D. 

✓ 


“ Which  I  wish  to  remark — 

And  my  language  is  plain— 

That  for  ways  that  are  dark. 

And  for  tricks  that  are  vain, 

The  heathen  Chinee  is  peculiar . 

Which  same  I  would  rise  to  explain.'* 

— Bbet  Habte 


New  York  Chicago 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  1923,  by 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago :  17  North  Wabash  Ave. 
London :  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh :  75  Princes  Street 


To 

My  Friend 

DONALDINA  CAMERON 
who  in  the  midst  of  “  ways  that  are 
dark  and  tricks  that  are  vain/’  has 
served  longer  and  endured  more 
than  the  rest  of  us. 


Foreword 


THOSE  of  us  who  through  years  of  intimate 
contact  with  the  Chinese  people  have  come 
to  know  and  to  understand  them,  or  at  least 
to  know  and  understand  them  better  than  some 
others  do,  cannot  but  resent  the  use  of  the  term 
“  heathen  Chinee  ” ;  especially  when  used  in  the 
sweepingly  all-inclusive  sense  in  which  so  many 
use  it.  It  may  therefore  occasion  some  surprise 
that  the  notorious  quotation  from  Bret  Harte  is 
used  in  introducing  this  story. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  what¬ 
ever  opportunity  Bret  Harte  may  have  had  in  later 
years  to  form  a  closer  acquaintance  with,  and  to 
make  a  more  careful  study  of,  the  Chinese  in 
America,  at  the  time  he  wrote  “  Plain  Language 
from  Truthful  James”  his  knowledge  and  experi¬ 
ence  were  limited  to  that  which  he  gained  with 
Ah  Sin  in  a  game  of  poker,  in  which  game  he 
(Harte)  was  a  heavy  loser. 

The  wily  Ah  Sin  does  not  represent  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  the  Middle  Kingdom  at  their  best — -the 
intelligent,  industrious,  high-minded  group  which 
are  a  credit  to  their  native  land  and  an  asset  to  the 
land  of  their  adoption.  He  represents  rather,  what 


7 


8 


FOREWORD 


might  be  called  the  unregenerate  Chinese — we  use 
the  term  advisedly.  He  and  his  tribe  still  exist. 
They  hdve  increased  in  number.  They  have  waxed 
fat,  prosperous  and  powerful;  and  in  addition  to 
their  own  native  wiles  and  cunning,  have  adopted 
many  of  the  ideas  and  vices  of  the  lower  strata  of 
American  society.  They  constitute  to-day  the 
greatest  single  menace  to  peace,  prosperity  and 
social  progress  in  every  Chinese  community  in  the 
United  States;  and  perhaps  Bret  Harte  did  not 
after  all  so  greatly  err  in  speaking  of  them  as 
“  heathen  ”  and  as  perpetrators  of  “  ways  that  are 
dark  and  tricks  that  are  vain.” 

It  is  this  group  and  their  ways  that  furnish  the 
inspiration  and  material  for  this  narrative. 

It  is  not  a  fairy  story.  As  the  sub-title  states,  it 
is  “  A  Composite  Narrative  of  Things  as  They 
Are  ”;  things  as  they  are  at  the  time  of  writing; 
not  as  they  were  ten,  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago. 
It  is  founded  upon  fact,  and  largely  constructed 
from  actual  events  which  have  come  to  the  personal 
attention  of  the  author. 

If  this  story  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  any 
of  my  many  Chinese  friends,  as  more  than  likely 
it  will,  they  will  understand  why  I  have  written 
these  things ;  for  they  have  suffered  much  and  long 
at  the  hands  of  Ah  Sin.  They  would  like  to  say 
to  my  readers  what  I  have  said  in  the  following 
pages ;  but  as  they  value  their  lives  they  dare  not 
This  being  the  case  I  have  undertaken  to  speak  5or 


FOREWORD 


9 


them,  as  well  as  for  my  American  friends  and 
colleagues. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  this  story  should  be 
brought  to  the  attention  of  any  of  the  tribe  of 
Ah  Sin,  I  shall  have  no  apology  to  make  to 
them  for  setting  forth  this  narrative  of  things  as 
they  are. 

C.  R.  S. 

Berkeley ,  Cal. 


Contents 


I.  Ah  Mae . 13 

II.  Ah  Mae  Takes  a  Long  Journey  .  21 

III.  Ah  Mae  Learns  the  Truth  .  .31 

IV.  Louie  Sam  Makes  a  Discovery  .  45 

V.  Plot  and  Counterplot  .  .  .66 

VI.  Flight  to  the  House  on  the  Hill  .  92 

VII.  Louie  Sam  Pays  the  Price  .  .110 

VIII.  While  the  Fury  Rages  .  .  .118 

IX.  In  the  Coils  of  the  Serpent  .  .  141 

X.  Retribution . 165 

XI.  Aftermath . 191 

XII.  The  Cause  and  the  Cure  .  .  195 


11 


V 


I 


AH  MAE 

"  What  do  you  see  in  the  heavens  bright? 

I  see  the  moon  and  the  stars  at  night. 

What  do  you  see  in  the  earth ,  pray  tell? 

I  see  in  the  earth  a  deep ,  deep  well” 

THE  song,  a  quaint  pentatonic,  well  known  to 
all  who  are  familiar  with  the  folk  songs  of 
the  Chinese,  ceased  long  enough  for  the 
singer  to  imprint  a  motherly  kiss  upon  the  chubby 
cheek  of  the  child  she  held  in  her  lap;  and  then 
continued : — 

“  What  do  you  see  in  the  well,  my  dear? 

I  see  a  frog,  and  his  voice  I  hear. 

What  is  he  saying  there  on  the  rock? 

‘ Get  up!  Get  up!’  It  is  time  to  zvork.” 

There  was  a  plaintiveness  about  the  melody  that 
was  almost  pathetic;  and  which  could  not  fail  to 
arrest  the  attention  of  any  who  heard  it.  But  the 
little  voice  was  clear  and  unfaltering  as  it  sang  of 
the  frog  and  his  call  to  work. 

Ah  Mae  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  nine 
children,  and  had  spent  the  entire  thirteen  years  of 
her  short  life  within  the  confines  of  the  little  vil¬ 
lage  of  Shek  Kau  in  South  China. 


13 


14 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


In  the  year  nineteen-fifteen,  when  the  Pearl 
River  had  been  on  one  of  its  periodical  rampages, 
wiping  out  hundreds  of  villages,  and  destroying 
thousands  of  lives,  the  father  of  the  family,  who 
was  employed  on  a  freight  junk,  had  lost  his  life  in 
the  Shiu  Hing  Gorge.  His  wages  had  ever  been 
small,  and  he  a  poor  manager.  Consequently  the 
family  had  been  left  to  struggle  on  in  poverty  as 
best  they  could. 

Being  the  youngest,  and  a  girl  at  that,  the  lot  of 
Ah  Mae  had  never  been  a  happy  one.  She  had  not 
been  wanted,  anyhow,  and  when  she  had  come  her 
parents’  only  consolation  had  been  in  looking  for¬ 
ward  to  the  time  when  she  would  bring  a  fair  price 
as  wife  or  concubine. 

In  the  meantime,  as  soon  as  her  tiny  hands  and 
body  were  able  to  perform  service,  she  had  become 
the  family  drudge;  and  whenever  she  could  be 
spared  from  the  routine  of  house  work  she  was  put 
to  work  at  the  back-aching  task  of  splitting  bamboo 
for  joss  sticks ;  this  being  the  family’s  chief  source 
of  revenue. 

One  wonders  how  she  found  it  in  her  heart  to 
sing  at  all ;  and  it  was  not  surprising  that  her  song 
reached  its  climax  in  the  call  to  work. 

But  hers  was  one  of  those  rare  spirits,  one  of 
those  hearts  .undaunted,  which  rise  serenely  above 
environment,  as  the  beautiful  lotus  lily  stands  erect 
and  with  queenly  dignity  above  the  muddy  waters 
beneath  which  it  has  its  roots,  and  from  which  it 


AH  MAE 


15 


has  drawn  its  life.  Her  little  body,  frail  and  often 
stooped  by  reason  of  much  toil,  had  about  it  a 
grace  that  was  indefinable.  Her  face  wore  ever  the 
suggestion  of  a  smile  which  needed  but  slight  in¬ 
centive  to  awaken  it  to  full  radiance.  Her  deep 
brown — almost  black — eyes,  even  when  filled  with 
tears  provoked  by  ill-treatment,  shone  with  a  lustre 
which  convinced  one  that  somewhere  back  of  them 
was  the  dwelling  place  of  a  choice  soul. 

It  is  not  often  that  one  discovers  such  a  person¬ 
ality  in  the  midst  of  such  ignorance  and  oppression. 
But  there  are  such ;  and  at  times  God  permits  us  to 
discover  such  an  one ;  as  though  He  would  assure 
us  that  humanity  is  really  His,  and  that  there  is  no 
place  so  dark,  and  no  life  so  circumscribed  but  His 
spirit  can  enter. 

But  there  was  another  reason  for  the  song  on 
this  occasion.  Ah  Mae  had  a  lover.  At  least  she 
loved  him  very  dearly;  and  it  needed  no  expert  to 
discover  that  she  did  not  love  without  return.  Toy 
Ling,  the  thirteen-months-old  son  of  Air.  and  Mrs. 
Chang,  the  next-door  neighbours,  was  the  one 
bright  spot  in  Ah  Mae’s  otherwise  dreary  existence. 
Moments  spent  with  this  little  protege  were  her 
only  sweets  in  life.  But  they  were  usually  stolen 
sweets,  and  never  lasted  long,  though  the  memory 
of  them  often  made  the  burdens  of  the  day  seem 
lighter. 


“  Ah  Mae !  Ah  Mae!!” 


16 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


The  harsh,  shrill  voice  of  Mrs.  Wong  broke  into 
the  sweet  song  of  the  little  maid  who,  scrambling 
to  her  feet,  deposited  her  precious  bundle  in  the 
doorway  of  the  Chang  home,  and  hastened  to  obey 
the  summons. 

“  Lazy  brat !  ”  snapped  her  mother,  striking  her 
sharply  about  the  shoulders  with  a  stout  bamboo 
rod.  “  Playing  with  the  neighbours’  child  will 
never  put  clothes  on  our  backs  or  food  in  our  stom¬ 
achs.  Don’t  you  know  that?  ” 

Ah  Mae  found  that  her  brother-in-law,  who  had 
been  making  a  short  visit,  was  ready  to  return 
home  and  was  waiting  for  her  to  carry  his  bundles 
to  the  boat.  One  so  big  and  strong  as  he  could 
well  have  carried  both  her  and  his  bundles;  but 
that  would  not  be  according  to  custom.  His  lord- 
ship  must  have  sendee;  and  who  more  fitting  to 
render  it  than  the  little  house  drudge. 

Returning  from  the  water-front  her  way  led  her 
past  the  village  school ;  and  she  paused  a  moment, 
gazing  with  longing  eyes  at  the  sign  over  the  door, 
and  listening  to  the  hubbub  of  voices  from  within. 

As  is  customary  in  a  Chinese  village  school,  all 
the  pupils  were  studying  aloud,  and  no  two  were 
reciting  the  same  thing ;  but  Ah  Mae’s  Chinese  ear 
was  able  to  recognize  the  voice  of  her  brother  Ah 
Ling ;  and  she  smiled  sadly  as  she  listened. 

All  three  of  her  brothers  had  attended  that  school 
in  their  day;  but  neither  she  nor  her  sisters  had 
been  so  privileged;  for  as  our  readers  must  know 


AH  MAE 


17 


village  schools  in  China,  with  a  very  few  excep¬ 
tions,  are  for  boys  only,  unless  it  be  that  the  village 
is  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  girls’  school  operated 
by  Christian  missionaries.  Shek  Kau  was  not  so 
fortunate. 

At  Tin  Tong,  about  a  day’s  journey  down  the 
river,  there  was  a  girls’  school  conducted  by  Ameri¬ 
can  missionaries.  From  an  aunt  who  lived  there 
Ah  Mae  had  heard  about  this  school,  and  how  her 
heart  had  yearned  as  she  thought  of  the  oppor¬ 
tunity  for  the  girls  in  that  town!  As  for  herself, 
however,  she  would  have  considered  it  just  as 
possible  that  she  be  adopted  by  Koon  Yum,  the 
Goddess  of  Mercy,  as  that  she  would  ever  have  an 
opportunity  to  enter  such  a  school. 

In  this  she  was  probably  right ;  for  the  village  of 
Shek  Kau  was  one  that  had  never  in  the  least  de¬ 
gree  been  brought  under  the  influence  of  Christian 
thought  or  Western  civilization;  and  hers  was  a 
family  notorious  for  its  adherence  to  the  Confucian 
ideas  concerning  women.  “  Women,”  said  that 
worthy  sage,  “  are  as  different  from  men  as  earth 
is  from  heaven.  They  are  indeed  human  beings; 
but  are  of  a  lower  state  than  men,  and  can  never 
attain  to  full  equality  with  them.  It  is  a  law  of 
nature  that  woman  should  be  in  subjection  to  man 
and  not  allowed  any  will  of  her  own.  Let  her 
be  taught;  but  in  all  instruction  let  the  aim  be 
perfect  submission,  not  cultivation  or  development 
of  mind.” 


18 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


Instruction  such  as  this  could,  without  doubt, 
best  be  imparted  within  the  confines  of  Ah  Mae’s 
own  home,  with  a  callous-hearted  mother  and  the 
bamboo  rod  as  tutors.  Where,  then,  was  there  any 
necessity  for  a  village  school  for  girls? 

Sadly  she  turned  away  and  continued  home¬ 
ward  singing  softly,  to  a  slow  dirge-like  melody, 
a  doleful  little  song  which  she  had  learned  from 
babyhood;  and  which  was  a  significant  and  an 
all-too-true  commentary  upon  her  pathetic  little  life. 

“  We  keep  a  dog  to  watch  the  house 
And  a  pig  is  useful  too; 

We  keep  a  cat  to  catch  a  mouse, 

But  what  can  we  do  with  a  girl  like  you t” 

One  day,  not  long  after  the  foregoing  events, 
Mrs.  Chang  received  a  letter  from  her  brother  Lee 
Wing,  who  was  in  America.  Being  unable  to  read, 
and  her  husband  not  being  at  home,  she  ran  over  to 
the  Wong’s  in  order  that  Ah  Ling  might  read  it 
for  her. 

The  letter  explained  that  Lee  Wing’s  wife  had 
died  in  America,  and,  as  he  was  unable  to  care  for 
his  children  himself,  and  unwilling  to  put  them  in  a 
“  foreign  devil  ”  orphanage,  he  would  soon  return 
to  China,  and  leave  them  with  his  sister. 

Ah  Mae,  who  was  sitting  on  the  floor  splitting 
bamboo  sticks,  paused  in  her  work;  and  with  the 
knife  in  one  hand  and  a  piece  of  bamboo  in  the 
other,  sat  wistfully  staring  into  space,  while  her 


AH  MAE 


19 


mother  and  Mrs.  Chang  discussed  the  affairs  of 
Lee  Wing. 

It  was  not,  however,  the  bereaved  husband  or  the 
motherless  children  which  occupied  her  thoughts. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  she  had  taken  but  little  account 
of  the  contents  of  the  letter;  for  the  fact  that  Mrs. 
Chang  had  said  that  it  was  from  Fa  Kei  Kwok 
(America)  had  awakened  within  her  memories 
which  had  completely  absorbed  her  attention  during 
the  reading  of  the  letter,  and  the  conversation 
which  followed. 

Among  her  brothers  there  had  been  one  named 
Kim.  She  did  not  remember  very  much  about  him 
save  two  things  which  stood  out  very  clearly  in  her 
memory.  One  was  that  he  had  seemed  so  different 
from  the  rest  of  the  family.  He  had  always  been 
so  kind  to  her.  He  had  treated  her  like  a  human 
being  rather  than  like  a  dog ;  and  had  over  and  over 
again  taken  her  part  when  others  had  abused  her. 
The  other  thing  was  that,  what  to  her  seemed  like 
ages  ago — it  was  actually  eight  years — Kim  had 
left  home  for  America;  and  since  that  time  life  for 
her  had  lost  most  of  what  little  brightness  it  had 
held.  And  so  it  was  that  to  her  Fa  Kei  Kwok 
meant  but  one  thing — the  place  where  Kim  was. 

She  had  never  heard  what  had  become  of  Kim. 
Some  time  after  her  father’s  death  she  had  seen 
her  mother  holding  in  her  hands  a  strange  piece  of 
paper  which  Ah  Ling  had  said  was  money  from 
their  brother  in  America;  but  this  was  about  the 


20 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


only  time  she  had  heard  any  of  them  speak  of  him ; 
and  she  often  wondered  what  had  become  of  him. 

“  Laan  Toh  Tsai!  (Lazy  brat!)  ”  screeched  her 
mother,  administering  a  kick,  as  she  caught  sight 
of  her  in  a  state  of  suspended  operation.  “  One 
bowl  of  rice  is  all  you  will  get  to-night,  unless  you 
work  harder  than  that.” 

Ah  Mae  came  quickly  out  of  her  reverie.  With 
a  sigh  she  lifted  the  heavy  knife,  and  proceeded 
to  split  the  large  bamboo  joint  which  she  held  to 
the  floor  with  the  other  hand,  while  with  a  still 
heavier  heart  she  thought  of  her  friend  the  frog 
and  his  call  to  work. 


II 


AH  MAE  TAKES  A  LONG  JOURNEY 

“  "1 "  s \AAN  Kwai  lai  loh!  Faan  Kwai  lai  loh! 

|M  (Foreign  devils  are  coming)”. 

The  cry,  which  proceeded  from  the  lips 
of  several  children  who  came  running  from  the 
direction  of  the  village  gateway,  was  taken  up  by 
every  urchin  on  the  narrow,  dirty  street. 

The  appearance  of  foreigners  in  Shek  Kau  was 
a  very  rare  occurrence.  In  fact  most  of  the  chil¬ 
dren  had  never  seen  such  a  thing  with  their  own 
eyes ;  though  they  had  heard  the  older  children  talk 
with  much  merriment  about  the  three  “  foreign 
devils  ”  who  had  passed  through  the  village  some 
years  before;  and  from  the  lips  of  some  of  the 
more  travelled  villagers,  who  had  ventured  abroad 
as  far  as  Canton  and  Hong  Kong,  they  had  heard 
queer  stories  about  the  strange  doings  of  the 
“  barbarian  fellows  ”  down  in  the  port  cities. 

The  news  that  some  of  these  strange  beings  were 
actually  approaching  caused  no  small  excitement. 
Men  and  women  peered  curiously  from  the  door¬ 
ways  of  stores  and  dwellings;  while  the  children 
proceeded  to  find  various  points  of  vantage  from 
which  they  could  get  a  good  view  of  these  intruders 
without  being  seen  by  them;  for  the  tales  which' 


21 


22 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


they  had  so  often  heard  warned  them  to  be  careful 
lest  the  eye  of  any  of  these  barbarians  should  cast 
its  evil  shadow  upon  them. 

It  was  all  a  false  alarm,  however,  for  as  the 
party  drew  near  and  entered  the  village  they  were 
seen  to  be  none  other  than  Lee  Wing  and  his  two 
children;  who  had  just  returned  from  America, 
and  had  thought  to  impress  the  old  home  town  by 
coming  back  fully  attired  in  Western  clothing. 
Lee  was  well  known  in  the  village,  having  spent  the 
first  twenty-five  years  of  his  life  there,  and  in  spite 
of  the  “  get  up  ”  recognition  was  instant  the  mo¬ 
ment  he  entered  the  main  street. 

The  home-coming  of  this  native  son  was  quite 
an  event  in  the  life  of  this  sleepy  little  community. 
In  the  days  which  followed  his  return  he  was  the 
recipient  of  many  calls  at  the  home  of  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Chang,  and  was  the  guest  of  honour  at  sev¬ 
eral  banquets.  Through  it  all  he  moved  with  an 
easy  grace  and  self-complacency.  He  had  a  pre¬ 
possessing  manner  and  a  sleek,  prosperous  appear¬ 
ance.  It  was  quite  apparent  that  during  his  ten 
years’  sojourn  in  America  the  wheel  o’  fortune  had 
been  kind  to  him. 

His  two  children,  Mabel,  aged  thirteen,  and 
Willie,  aged  eleven,  had  been  in  America  only  five 
years;  but  at  Sacramento,  Calif.,  they  had  been  to 
school  with  American  children,  and  had  become 
thoroughly  Americanized.  As  might  be  expected, 
they  were  quite  filled  with  a  sense  of  their  own 


AH  MAE  TAKES  A  LONG  JOURNEY  23 


importance,  and  decidedly  inclined  to  put  on  airs. 
But  even  their  true  American  nonchalance  was  not 
proof  against  the  ridicule  of  the  children  of  the 
village,  who  taunted  them  for  their  strange  appear¬ 
ance,  calling  them  alternately  “  white  Chinese  ” 
and  “  yellow  foreign  devils.”  It  was  not  many 
days  before  they  both  reverted  to  native  costume 
and  proceeded  to  lay  aside  some  of  their  grand  airs. 

There  was  one  person  to  whom  the  coming  of 
Lee  Wing  was  to  mean  more  than  to  any  other  in 
the  village. 

From  the  very  first  this  returned  traveler  had 
taken  a  marked  interest  in  his  sister’s  little  neigh¬ 
bour,  Ah  Mae. 

“  That  child  is  made  to  work  too  hard,”  he  had 
said  to  his  sister  one  evening  when  he  had  seen  her 
come  staggering  from  the  well  with  two  huge  pails 
of  water.  “  And  what  is  more,”  he  added,  “  if  she 
were  properly  fed  and  clothed  she  would  be  very 
beautiful.” 

It  was  natural  that  Mabel,  being  about  the  same 
age  as  Ah  Mae,  should  become  interested  in  her. 
After  living  in  Sacramento,  life  was  dull  back 
there  in  that  little  out-of-the-way  village,  and  she 
craved  companionship.  Ah  Mae  was,  of  course, 
nothing  like  so  smart  as  the  girls  in  America ;  but 
then  she  was  friendly  and  had  a  pleasing  disposi¬ 
tion.  And  so  Mabel  found  herself  drawn  to  this 
little  toiler  and  constantly  desiring  her  company. 

The  upshot  was  that  one  afternoon  Lee  Wing 


24 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


spent  some  time  in  conversation  with  Mrs.  Wong; 
and  after  that  Ah  Mae’s  burdens  were  lightened, 
and  she  found  that  she  was  free  to  be  with  Mabel 
as  often  as  the  latter  desired  to  have  her. 

It  happened  that  one  warm  afternoon  in  the 
month  of  June  Ah  Mae  and  Mabel  were  playing  in 
the  courtyard  of  the  Chang  home,  while  Lee  Wing 
sat  in  the  doorway  smoking  one  of  his  few  remain- 
ing  good  American  cigars.  His  eyes  rested  upon 
them  as  they  played;  and  he  smiled  as  he  studied 
them  through  the  clouds  of  cigar  smoke;  but  who 
can  ever  tell  what  is  behind  the  bland  smile  of  an 
Oriental — especially  one  such  as  Lee  Wing? 

I  “  I  have  often  thought  so,”  he  said  to  himself, 
“  but  now  I  feel  sure  of  it.  They  are  as  like  as 
two  peas.” 

“  Mabel !  ”  he  called ;  and  when  the  child  came 
and  stood  before  him  he  said :  “  Why  don’t  you 
and  Ah  Mae  put  on  some  of  your  pretty  American 
clothes  and  play  that  you  are  in  America?  ” 

The  idea  seemed  to  please  Mabel,  who  ran  of? 
into  the  house,  dragging  Ah  Mae  with  her. 

When  they  reappeared,  each  wearing  a  dainty 
American  gingham  dress,  their  hair  fixed  in 
American  style,  and  each  head  adorned  with  a  big 
bow  of  ribbon,  Lee  Wing  chuckled  till  his  fat 
sides  shook. 

“  Ah  Mae  make  em  plitty  good  Melican  girlo 
awlight,”  he  shouted  gleefully  in  his  grotesque 
English,  as  the  two  went  off  to  show  themselves  to 


AH  MAE  TAKES  A  LONG  JOURNEY  25 


Mrs.  Wong.  Then  to  himself  he  said,  as  he 
studied  the  butt  of  his  precious  cigar,  “  Just  like 
twin  sisters.  Maybe  the  American  people  wouldn’t 
know  them  apart.”  And  again  he  smiled — a  ce¬ 
lestial  smile — and  fell  into  deep  contemplation. 

Lee  Wing  and  Mrs.  Wong  had  talked  long  and 
earnestly;  and  at  times  with  a  good  deal  of  spirit; 
but  they  had  ultimately  reached  an  understanding 
which  seemed  satisfactory  to  both.  And  now  Ah 
Mae,  who  was  over  at  Mrs.  Chang’s  with  Mabel, 
and  had  Heard  nothing  of  the  discussion,  was  called 
in  to  hear  the  good  news. 

How  would  she  like  to  go  to  America  with  Lee 
Wing;  to  be  treated  as  his  own  daughter;  to  go  to 
school  and  to  learn  to  speak  English  as  Mabel  did ; 
and,  maybe,  some  day  to  marry  a  rich  man  and 
have  no  more  hard  work  ? 

What  need  to  ask  the  question?  Was  not 
America  the  place  where  her  beloved  Kim  lived? 
Then,  too,  had  she  not  for  the  past  three  months 
been  regaled  by  Mabel  with  glowing  tales  of  that 
Wonderful  land;  of  the  beautiful  little  country 
home  and  fruit  ranch,  and  of  the  delights  of  that 
enchanted  little  city  of  Sacramento  ? 

Lee  Wing  pushed  a  bundle  of  clothing  across 
the  table  to  Mrs.  Wong,  who  took  it  and,  with 
the  child,  withdrew  into  another  room. 

When  they  returned,  Ah  Mae  wearing  a  com¬ 
plete  outfit  of  Mabel’s  clothing,  Lee  Wing  was 


26 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


poring  over  a  sheet  of  paper  on  which  were  a  lot 
of  strange  marks,  unintelligible  to  our  little  friend. 
But  there  was  one  thing  on  the  paper  that  was 
familiar  to  her,  and  which  she  recognized  immedi¬ 
ately.  It  was  a  photograph  of  Mabel  wearing  the 
very  clothes  which  she  herself  then  had  on.  Mrs. 
Wong  laughed,  a  shrill,  silly  laugh,  as  she  looked 
first  at  the  photograph  and  then  at  her  daughter. 
Even  Ah  Mae  herself  was  struck  by  the  remark¬ 
able  similarity  between  her  own  appearance  and 
the  photograph  before  her. 

It  was  then  explained  to  this  timid  little  maid, 
that  in  America,  though  it  was  in  many  respects  a 
very  wonderful  country,  there  were  many  very  evil 
men ;  that  Chinese  girls  seeking  to  enter  the  coun¬ 
try  without  their  fathers  or  husbands  were  never 
allowed  to  land;  that  the  Americans  had  a  great 
island  which  they  called  Angel  Island;  but  that  it 
was  only  called  that  to  deceive  the  Orientals;  that 
it  was  really  a  terrible  place;  that  young  Chinese 
girls  were  sent  there  by  the  authorities  and  locked 
up  in  a  great  prison,  where  they  were  forced  to 
remain  until  they  became  the  willing  slaves  of 
rapacious  officials. 

In  order  to  protect  themselves  against  these 
“  foreign  devils,”  therefore,  it  was  necessary  for 
Chinese,  seeking  to  enter  America,  to  lie  to  the 
authorities.  This  was  perfectly  justifiable  since  it 
was  the  only  way  to  get  the  better  of  these  barbar¬ 
ian  fellows.  It  would  be  necessary,  therefore,  that 


AH  MAE  TAKES  A  LONG  JOURNEY  27 


Ah  Mae  pass  as  Lee  Wing’s  daughter — in  other 
words  she  must  play  the  part  of  Mabel.  Fortu¬ 
nately,  however,  Koon  Yum,  the  gracious  goddess, 
was  on  their  side  and  had  made  the  two  of  them 
look  so  much  alike  that  attired  in  Mabel’s  clothing 
Ah  Mae  could  travel  on  Mabel’s  passport,  and  no 
American  official  would  be  smart  enough  to  know 
the  difference. 

Ah  Mae  was  much  impressed  by  all  that  was  told 
her ;  and  was  more  than  ready  to  become  a  diligent 
pupil  in  the  gentle  art  of  deceiving;  for  no  price 
was  too  great  to  pay  in  order  to  see  Kim  once 
again. 

And  so,  in  the  days  which  followed,  over  and 
over  again  she  was  coached  in  the  part  which  she 
was  to  play,  the  way  she  was  to  act  under  certain 
circumstances,  and  the  answers  she  should  give  to 
certain  questions.  Furthermore,  at  the  hands  of 
Mabel  and  her  father,  she  received  daily  instruc¬ 
tions  in  simple  English,  for  it  would  never  do  for 
a  child  that  had  been  five  years  in  America  to  speak 
no  English  at  all. 

But  Lee  was  not  banking  too  much  on  Ah  Mae’s 
capacity  to  learn  English  or  her  ability  to  pass  suc¬ 
cessfully  the  examinations  of  the  immigration 
authorities.  There  were  other  forces  with  which 
Lee  was  perfectly  familiar  and  which  he  knew  well 
how  to  employ  to  advantage;  and  several  letters 
were  promptly  dispatched  to  America  with  a  view 
to  setting  these  forces  in  operation. 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


28 
f 

Ah  Mae  walked  slowly  and  thoughtfully  out  of 
Mrs.  Chang’s  house.  Lee  Wing  was  away  at  the 
time  and  Mrs.  Chang  had  found  an  opportunity 
for  saying  to  the  child  something  which  she  had 
desired  to  say  ever  since  she  had  heard  that  Lee 
Wing  was  planning  to  take  the  child  to  America. 

Crossing  the  common  courtyard  she  entered 
her  home,  where  she  found  her  mother,  and  look¬ 
ing  straight  into  her  eyes  asked  her  a  pointed 
question. 

“Impudent  hussy  1”  snarled  the  fond  parent; 
and  slapped  her  full  in  the  face  with  the  flat  of  her 
hand.  This  was  the  first  blow  Ah  Mae  had  re¬ 
ceived  in  several  weeks.  She  paled  under  it  and 
commenced  to  cry. 

“  How  dare  you  ask  such  a  question  ?  ”  con¬ 
tinued  her  mother.  “  Do  you  forget  that  I  am 
your  mother?  Have  you  forgotten  all  that  I  ever 
taught  you  of  the  teachings  of  the  Great  Sage 
concerning  filial  piety?  You  must  have  been  gos¬ 
siping  with  the  neighbours.  Too  much  freedom  is 
not  good  for  you.  Get  back  to  your  work.  There 
is  water  to  be  carried,  and  wood  to  be  chopped; 
and  when  you  are  through  with  that,  there  is  plenty 
of  bamboo  waiting  for  you.” 

At  length  arrived  the  day  when  Lee  and  his 
charge  were  to  start  on  their  long  journey  to 
America. 

Quite  early  in  the  morning,  while  most  of  the 
villagers  were  not  yet  astir,  they  boarded  the  Tow 


AH  MAE  TAKES  A  LONG  JOURNEY  29 


Shuen  (Chinese  passenger  boat)  and  departed  for 
Canton. 

What  an  experience  this  was  for  Ah  Mae! 
Only  once  before  had  she  been  away  from  her 
home.  That  was  eight  years  ago  when  Kim  had 
taken  her  down  as  far  as  Sam  Shui;  an  event 
which  was  to  mean  much  to  both  of  them  at  a  day 
now  not  far  distant. 

She  got  her  first  view  of  Canton  that  night,  just 
as  it  was  getting  dark;  and  when  the  boat  was 
moored,  and  they  stepped  ashore,  Ah  Mae  thought 
that  she  was  surely  in  fairyland. 

Could  America  possibly  be  more  wonderful  than 
this?  The  long  winding  Bund  with  its  many  large 
and  elaborate  buildings,  the  blaze  of  electric  lights, 
the  crowds  of  people — she  had  not  thought  there 
could  be  so  many  in  the  whole  world — the  never- 
ending  string  of  rickshaw  coolies  with  their  weird 
grunts  and  tinkling  bells.  Everybody  seemed  to  be 
as  alert  and  wide  awake  as  though  it  were  morn¬ 
ing;  and  there  was  not  a  sign  of  anybody  turning 
in  for  the  night.  All  these  things  fairly  took  her 
breath  away  as,  lugging  a  heavy  bundle,  and  en¬ 
deavouring  to  keep  up,  she  followed  at  the  heels 
of  Lee  Wing. 

Night  was  spent  with  some  friends ;  and  the  next 
day  they  left  for  Hong  Kong,  where  fresh  and 
even  greater  wonders  awaited  her;  not  the  least  of 
which  were  the  swarms  of  “  foreign  devils  ”  of 
every  size  and  colour. 


30 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


We  are  sorely  tempted  to  follow  this  little  coun¬ 
try  maid  through  her  three  days’  stay  in  Hong 
Kong  and  the  long  voyage  across  the  “  Great 
Peace  Ocean  ” ;  to  share  with  her  each  wonderful 
new  experience;  to  hear  her  exclamations  of  joy, 
astonishment  and  surprise ;  to  laugh,  to  wonder  and 
to  be  thrilled  with  her.  But  we  must  forbear,  and 
hasten  on  with  our  story. 

Travelling  first  class,  and  armed  with  Mabel’s 
papers,  Lee  Wing  had  no  difficulty  in  making  a 
landing.  Several  bona  fide  wives  and  daughters, 
however,  travelling  on  the  same  boat  were  for 
some  reason  or  other  unable  to  furnish  satisfactory 
evidence,  and  were  shipped  off  to  Angel  Island, 
there  to  be  kept  in  strict  detention  and  subjected 
to  rigid  examinations;  and  some,  perhaps,  to  be 
denied  entrance. 

How  true  the  Chinese  proverb : 

“  Hak  kau  tan  shik; 

Paak  kan  tong  sui.” 

“  The  black  dog  steals  the  food; 

The  white  dog  gets  into  trouble  for  it.” 


Ill 


AH  MAE  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 


JUE  YAT  led  his  guests  up  several  steep,  dark 
flights  of  stairs  to  the  third  floor  of  a  ramb¬ 
ling  apartment  house  in  the  heart  of  San 
Francisco’s  Chinatown. 

As  they  approached  the  door  of  No.  36  their 
ears  were  greeted  by  an  uproar  of  juvenile  voices 
which  abated  in  part  only  when  their  host  opened 
the  door  and  ushered  them  in. 

A  varied  assortment  of  children — eight  of  them 
in  all — occupied  the  room. 

Two  girls  were  engaged  in  removing  bowls, 
dishes  and  chop-sticks  from  a  large  center  table. 
A  smaller  girl,  with  hair  disheveled  and  feet  un¬ 
shod,  stood  near  the  doorway  to  the  kitchen,  jog¬ 
gling  a  bawling  infant  whose  tiny  head  projected 
from  the  “  mei  tai  ”  by  which  it  was  strapped  to 
her  back.  Another  child,  but  little  more  than  a 
babe,  and  only  half  clothed,  was  seated  on  the  floor 
contentedly  munching  a  Chinese  dumpling.  Two 
small  boys  were  engaged  in  a  spirited  hair-pulling 
and  shin-barking  contest,  while  a  larger  boy,  with 
books  in  his  hand,  seemed  to  be  about  to  leave  for 
school 

Mrs.  Jue,  who  from  the  dark  recesses  of  the 


31 


82 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


kitchen  had  been  yelling  back  sundry  instructions, 
admonitions  and  threats  to  her  unruly  offspring, 
wiped  her  hands  in  her  apron,  and  came  out  to 
meet  her  husband’s  guests. 

She  was  a  woman  approaching  fifty,  of  un¬ 
prepossessing  appearance  and  not  very  engaging 
manner.  But  this  was  not  her  fault.  Hard  work 
and  much  child-bearing  had  broken  her  physically 
and  embittered  her  in  spirit.  She  had  given  birth 
to  fourteen  children,  eight  of  whom  still  lived.  In 
infancy  her  feet  had  been  bound ;  and,  although  in 
later  years  they  had  been  partly  unloosed,  she  still 
hobbled  as  she  walked;  which,  together  with  the 
fact  that  she  dressed  entirely  in  native  costume, 
gave  her  the  appearance  of  the  typical  old-style 
Chinese — which  in  truth  she  was. 

Before  the  boat  had  reached  America,  Lee  Wing 
had  informed  Ah  Mae  that  before  going  on  to  their 
home  near  Sacramento,  they  would  spend  several 
days  with  friends  in  San  Francisco;  and  Jue  Yat 
had  been  waiting  for  them  when  they  stepped  on  to 
the  wharf. 

He  was  a  man  past  fifty,  of  smiling  countenance 
and  kindly  appearance,  and  Ah  Mae’s  heart  had 
warmed  to  him  as,  in  a  fatherly  manner,  he  took 
her  by  the  hand  and  led  her  to  a  waiting  taxi. 

A  ride  in  a  taxi!  Another  new  and  wonderful 
experience;  but  it  seemed  to  her  that  it  was  over 
almost  as  soon  as  it  commenced. 

Mrs.  Jue  received  them  kindly;  and,  notwith- 


AH  MAE  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 


33 


standing  the  fact  that  they  had  eaten  a  hearty 
breakfast  before  leaving  the  ship,  she  insisted  upon 
setting  before  them  a  meal  of  salt  fish,  rice  and 
dumplings. 

For  some  reason  or  other,  what  Lee  Wing  had 
said  would  be  several  days  lengthened  into  several 
weeks;  but  with  such  a  large  family  there  was  no 
danger  that  Ah  Mae  would  become  lonesome.  She 
soon  came  to  feel  herself  one  of  them;  and  to 
shoulder  her  share  of  the  family  responsibility. 
From  the  very  first  she  had  shown  a  partiality  for 
Ah  Nup,  the  tiny  baby;  and,  as  no  other  member 
of  the  family  seemed  inclined  to  dispute  her  rights 
in  the  matter,  it  was  not  many  days  before  she 
practically  assumed  entire  charge  of  the  child. 

In  a  measure  she  was  happy  in  her  new  sur¬ 
roundings;  but  she  was  not  satisfied.  One  thing 
in  particular  disappointed  and  troubled  her.  She 
had  not  seen  a  thing  nor  heard  a  word  of  Kim; 
and,  what  was  worse,  Lee  only  laughed  at  her 
anxiety  and  did  not  seem  to  be  in  the  least  con¬ 
cerned  about  finding  him. 

“  America  is  a  big  place,”  he  said  to  her  on 
several  occasions. 

"  Ch’am  yan  mo  tei  chi 
Ue  hoi  tai  loh  cham.” 

“To  find  a  man  whose  address  you  do  not 
know, 

Is  like  fishing  for  a  needle  in  the  bottom  of 
the  sea.” 


34 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


But  her  little  heart  was  undaunted ;  and  she  con¬ 
tinued  to  live  in  the  belief  that  she  would  find  him. 

“  I  tell  you  she  is  too  young,”  repeated  Jue  Yat, 
striking  the  table  with  the  palm  of  his  hand.  “  I 
did  not  tell  you  to  bring  me  a  baby.  I  told  you  I 
wanted  a  tsip  she  (concubine).” 

“  Sure,  sure,  friend  Jue,  sure!  I  know  that. 
But  she  is  very  beautiful,  and  she  is  not  so  very 
young  after  all.  In  but  a  little  while  she  will  be 
right  enough !  and  until  then  who  will  deny  that  she 
will  make  an  excellent  servant.”  Lee  Wing  af¬ 
fected  a  manner  that  was  intended  to  be  jovial; 
but  he  was  obviously  ill  at  ease,  for  he  was  driving 
a  hard  bargain  and  he  knew  it. 

“Servants  enough!”  snorted  Jue.  “For  what 
reason  have  I  raised  eight  children  if  not  that  they 
should  serve  me  in  my  old  age?  But  it  is  hard  to 
fill  so  many  mouths,  and  to  make  matters  worse 
you  have  brought  me  another.  I  tell  you  two 
thousand  dollars  is  too  much  to  pay  for  such  a 
child.  By  my  father’s  idols!  For  so  large  a  sum 
of  money  you  should  be  able  to  provide  me  with  a 
full  grown  young  woman.” 

“Stupid  pig!”  jeered  Lee,  “a  fat  chance  I 
should  have  had  of  getting  a  woman  past  those 
immigration  devils.  You  know  very  well  how  that 
is.  Have  you  not  tried  it  three  times  and  failed? 
T’iu  na  ma !  *  You  should  be  thankful  that  the 


*A  Chinese  oath. 


AH  MAE  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 


35 


goddess  Koon  Yum  so  favoured  us  by  making  two 
girls  as  like  as  two  peas  in  a  pod.  In  two  years 
from  now  she  will  be  worth  twice  what  I  am  asking 
you  for  her;  and  if  you  do  not  like  her  you  can 
sell  her  as  quickly  as  you  could  dispose  of  a  good 
piece  of  jade.” 

And  so  they  bartered.  Bartered,  argued  and 
cajoled. 

Over  what? 

The  soul  and  body  of  our  little  friend  Ah  Mae. 

Finally  the  sum  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars  was 
agreed  upon  as  a  compromise;  and  Ah  Mae  herself 
happened  to  enter  the  room  just  in  time  to  see  Jue 
Yat  push  across  the  table  a  pile  of  glittering,  tink¬ 
ling  American  gold;  which  Tee  Wing  took  and 
stowed  away  about  his  person. 

She  saw,  yes,  but  as  yet  she  did  not  understand. 

The  day  after  this  transaction  took  place  Lee 
told  Ah  Mae  that  he  was  leaving  for  Sacramento, 
but  that,  as  Mrs.  Jue  was  not  at  all  well  and  had 
many  children  to  care  for,  he  wished  her  to  stay  a 
little  longer  and  help  her  out.  Mrs.  Jue,  he  re¬ 
minded  her,  had  been  very  kind  in  entertaining 
them,  and  it  was  no  more  than  right  that  she  should 
do  something  in  return.  He  would  not  be  gone 
long.  In  a  week  or  so  he  would  return  and  take 
her  with  him  to  their  country  home. 

As  the  “  Comet,”  a  fast  electric  train  on  the 
Sacramento  Short  Line,  came  to  a  stop  at  a  small 


36 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


wayside  station  a  few  miles  south  of  the  capital 
city,  a  prosperous-looking  Chinese  alighted,  stepped 
into  a  waiting  automobile  which  was  driven  by  a 
young  Chinese  chauffeur,  and  was  whisked  away 
over  one  of  California’s  matchless  highways  at  a 
rate  of  speed  not  at  all  in  keeping  with  the  law. 

Fifteen  minutes  later  the  car  turned  into  the 
driveway  of  a  small  but  attractive  ranch  house, 
and  a  blast  of  the  horn  immediately  brought 
into  view  the  form  of  a  young  Chinese  woman. 
She  stood  in  the  doorway,  which  opened  on  a 
verandah  at  the  side  of  the  house  nearest  the 
driveway,  and  waved  a  dainty  hand  to  the  occu¬ 
pants  of  the  car. 

Lee  Wing,  for  it  was  he,  hopped  from  the  car, 
strode  rapidly  up  the  walk,  leaped  like  a  young  boy 
up  the  steps  leading  to  the  verandah  and,  catching 
her  by  the  hand,  led  her  into  the  house,  where  he 
swept  her  into  his  arms,  and  embraced  her  in  true 
American  fashion. 

She  was  a  dainty  little  thing,  a  typical  sample  of 
refined,  delicate,  Oriental  beauty,  made  more  beau¬ 
tiful  by  the  addition  of  certain  Occidental  embel¬ 
lishments  which  she  had  learned  skillfully  to 
employ.  Her  face  was  of  the  oval  classic  type 
which  is  more  common  among  the  people  of  North 
China  than  among  the  Cantonese.  Though  small 
and  slender,  her  form  was  almost  perfect  in  its 
symmetry,  and  was  displayed  in  the  most  attractive 
manner  by  her  snugly-fitting  and  modish  Oriental 


AH  MAE  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 


37 


garments.  Her  eyes  were  black  and  sparkling, 
with  soft,  flexible  lids  which  lacked  the  character¬ 
istic  slit-like  formation  which  has  given  to  so  many 
of  her  race  the  appearance  of  peeping  at  one. 
When  Nan  Choy  looked  at  you,  she  looked  upward 
from  under  a  slightly  arched  brow;  but  it  was  a 
pair  of  deep,  open,  almost  wondering  eyes  that 
turned  upon  you.  She  was  clearly  Lee’s  junior  by 
more  than  a  score  of  years,  and  yet  one  did  not 
need  to  be  a  keen  observer  to  discover  that  she 
ruled  him. 

But  who  was  this  Nan  Choy,  or  Lena,  to  use  her 
American  name? 

According  to  the  American  way  of  regarding 
such  matters,  she  was  Lee  Wing’s  mistress. 
Chinese  custom  had,  while  Lee’s  wife  lived,  recog¬ 
nized  her  as  his  concubine.  Henceforth  she  was 
to  be  his  wife. 

The  story  of  Lena  is  one  which  has  its  all  too 
frequent  parallel  in  the  annals  of  Chinese  life  in 
America,  and  one  which  sadly  indicates  to  what  a 
small  extent  after  all,  Christian  Americanization 
has  gotten  below  the  surface  in  our  large  Chinese 
communities. 

Lena  was  a  Native  Daughter  of  the  Golden 
State,  bom  in  San  Francisco,  educated  in  one  of 
our  public  schools,  affiliated  with  a  Christian  Sun¬ 
day  School,  and,  as  far  as  exterior  appearance  was 
concerned,  thoroughly  Americanized;  but  neither 
American  ideals  nor  the  Christian  religion  had 


38 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


penetrated  far  below  her  skin.  She  had  met  Lee 
Wing  at  a  banquet  given  at  the  headquarters  of  the 
Hip  Kung  Tong,  and  infatuation  had  been  instant 
and  mutual.  The  fact  that  Lee  had  a  wife  and 
two  children  gave  neither  of  them  much  concern. 
Lee  would  drive  down  from  Sacramento  in  his 
touring  car  every  few  weeks,  and  he  and  Lena 
would  spend  several  days  together  in  a  cosy  apart¬ 
ment  in  San  Francisco’s  Chinatown. 

Lena’s  mother,  a  hardened  and  unprincipled  old 
woman,  at  first  raised  violent  objections  to  this 
alliance,  and  went  so  far  as  to  enlist  the  sympathy 
and  co-operation  of  some  of  the  Christian  mission¬ 
aries  in  the  community  in  bringing  the  matter  to 
the  attention  of  the  Juvenile  Court.  When,  how¬ 
ever,  Lee  Wing  came  across  with  three  thousand 
dollars,  the  old  mother’s  eyes  gleamed  with  de¬ 
light,  her  opposition  vanished,  the  missionaries 
were  told  that  everything  had  been  fixed  up;  and 
not  long  after  that  Lena  disappeared  from  San 
Francisco. 

In  the  face  of  strenuous  objections  on  the  part 
of  the  wife,  Lena  was  installed  in  the  Lee  home, 
and  despite  her  youth  it  was  not  long  before  her 
wish  became  the  ruling  factor  in  that  home. 

She  was  beautiful  and  attractive;  but  haughty 
and  impertinent,  and  with  a  will  of  her  own.  She 
was  bound  by  no  American  law  to  Lee,  whose  in¬ 
fatuation  knew  no  bounds,  and  could  always 
threaten  to  leave  him  if  he  did  not  conform  to  her 


AH  MAE  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 


39 


wish.  Thus  the  old  Chinese  law,  by  virtue  of 
which  the  wife  exercises  control  over  the  concu¬ 
bines,  was  completely  reversed,  and  Lena  virtually 
became  queen  in  the  home. 

Mrs.  Lee  did  not  live  more  than  a  year  after 
Lena  invaded  her  domain ;  and  on  the  part  of  those 
who  knew  the  family  intimately,  there  was  no  lack 
of  insinuation  that  she  not  only  welcomed  but 
actually  hastened  her  own  passing. 

Lena  at  once  made  it  very  clear  to  Lee  that  she 
had  no  intention  of  becoming  step-mother  to  his 
two  children;  and  with  the  aid  of  her  mother 
brought  such  pressure  to  bear  that  he  decided  to 
take  them  back  to  China;  at  the  same  time  under¬ 
taking  to  negotiate  a  deal  which,  if  successful, 
would  more  than  pay  all  the  expense  of  his  trip. 

We  have  seen  how  well  he  succeeded. 

“  Why  ever  doesn’t  Daddy  Lee  come  for  me?  ” 
said  Ah  Mae  to  Mrs.  Jue  one  morning  after  Lee 
had  been  gone  nearly  six  months.  “  He  told  me 
he  would  come  back  soon  and  take  me  to  Sacra¬ 
mento,  where  I  could  go  to  school.  Maybe  he  is 
sick,  or  perhaps  something  terrible  has  happened 
to  him.” 

“  Don’t  bother  your  head  about  him,”  chuckled 
Mrs.  Jue.  “  Lee  Wing  can  take  care  of  himself 
alright.  He’ll  come  back  some  day  when  he  has 
time.” 

Then,  after  a  pause,  she  added,  “  Maybe  he  will 


40 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


never  come  back.  But  what  of  it?  You  are  al¬ 
right  here.  You  can  just  stay  and  be  our  Kai  Nui 
(god-child).” 

Another  pause. 

Then:  “  Maybe  you  don’t  know  it,  but  Jue  Yat 
is  very  fond  of  you.  You  stay  here  and  be  a  good 
girl,  just  do  as  Jue  Yat  tells  you  and  everything 
will  be  alright.” 

As  Mrs.  Jue  said  this  the  child  detected  in  her 
eyes  a  look  which,  though  she  did  not  understand, 
she  did  not  at  all  like. 

She  was  becoming  restless  and  unhappy. 

She  was  closely  confined  to  the  house.  Only  on 
rare  occasions  had  she  been  permitted  to  go  on  a 
short  errand  to  the  store  with  one  of  the  Jue  girls. 
A  strict  watch  was  kept  upon  her;  and,  lest  she 
should  become  emboldened  and  at  some  unguarded 
moment  venture  forth  on  her  own  initiative,  her 
mind  had  been  filled  with  fears  that  in  some  way 
her  deception  of  the  immigration  authorities  might 
become  known  and  she  be  carried  back  to  Angel 
Island.  But  she  would  gladly  have  run  even  this 
risk  for  an  opportunity  to  get  out  and  search  for 
her  beloved  Kim.  On  her  rare  trips  to  the  store 
she  had  scrutinized  carefully  every  male  face  she 
had  seen;  and  many  were  the  hours  she  spent  at 
the  window  of  the  apartment,  peering  down  into 
the  street  below  with  the  hope  of  discovering  him. 

In  the  meantime  her  youthful  soul  was  becoming 
distressed  over  Jue  Yat’s  attitude  towards  her.  So 


AH  MAE  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 


41 


often  she  found  herself  alone  with  him;  and  he 
made  no  effort  to  disguise  his  desire  for  her. 

At  first  she  regarded  his  attentions  as  but  ex¬ 
pressions  of  his  fatherly  interest;  but  more  and 
more  her  inherent  Chinese  sense  of  propriety  was 
coming  to  resent  his  extreme  familiarity;  particu¬ 
larly  when  such  familiarity  took  place,  as  it  did 
several  times,  in  the  privacy  of  her  own  room. 
But  she  did  not  fully  comprehend  the  situation 
until  one  night  she  was  rudely  and  completely 
awakened  to  the  facts. 

There  had  been  much  merriment  in  the  house 
that  evening,  as  preparations  were  being  made  for 
the  party  of  tomorrow — a  party  which  Jue  Yat 
was  giving  for  a  few  of  his  most  intimate  friends. 

Especially  for  this  occasion  he  had  bought  for 
Ah  Mae  a  beautiful  blue-grey  silk  Chinese  outfit — 
foos  and  shaam — and  two  heavy  gold  bracelets. 
This,  he  said,  was  because  he  wished  her  to  wait 
upon  his  guests  at  the  party. 

After  the  other  children  had  gone  off  to  bed  he 
had  had  her  try  them  on;  and  Mrs.  Jue  had  ar¬ 
ranged  her  hair  in  an  Oriental  coiffure  after  the 
manner  of  the  “  singing  girls.”  Thus  attired  she 
had  looked  truly  beautiful  and  bewitching;  and  she 
had  laughed  with  delight  as  she  viewed  herself  in 
the  looking-glass. 

Later,  in  her  own  room  she  had  removed  her 
pretty  new  garments,  carefully  folding  the  foos, 
and  hanging  the  shaam  on  a  peg;  and  was  standing 


42 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


before  a  small  mirror  removing  the  ornaments 
from  her  hair.  She  caught  the  reflection  of  a 
face,  and  turning  quickly  saw  Jue  Yat,  his  own 
outer  garments  also  removed,  standing  a  few  feet 
from  her  and  leering  at  her  significantly. 

She  gave  a  start,  and,  becoming  conscious  of 
her  dishabille,  shrank  into  the  further  comer  of 
the  room. 

“  M  shai  fong!  (Do  not  fear),”  he  said,  start¬ 
ing  towards  her  with  arms  outstretched  and  a  sin¬ 
ister  grin  upon  his  face.  “  You  are  Jue  Yat’s 
little  Lotus  Blossom.  My  beautiful  concubine. 
Mine !  And  plenty  good  American  money  did  I 
pay  for  you.  Just  do  as  Jue  Yat  tells  you,  and 
everything  will  be  alright.” 

And  then  the  awful  truth  dawned  upon  her. 
She  recalled  how  her  friend  Mrs.  Chang  had 
warned  her  that  she  was  to  be  sold ;  but  her  mother 
had  rebuked  her  and  told  her  that  the  neighbour 
lied.  Like  an  awful  avalanche  the  dreadful  truth 
swept  over  her.  She  had  been  sold;  sold  by  her 
own  mother;  sold  to  this  old  man  who  could  do 
as  he  pleased  with  her,  and  when  he  tired  of  her, 
sell  her  to  another. 

She  summoned  all  her  strength  in  one  terrific 
effort  to  escape  from  him. 

She  screamed.  She  fought.  She  kicked  him. 
In  that  short  moment  a  little  docile  mooi  tsai  had 
become  a  struggling,  frantic,  human  tigress. 

She  clawed  his  face,  and  bit  his  cheek  until  the 


AH  MAE  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 


43 


blood  flowed.  All  the  while  panting  and  exclaim¬ 
ing,  “  I  won’t !  I  won’t !  I  would  rather  die  than 
submit  to  you.  You  beast !  ” 

Finally  Jue  gave  up  ;  with  one  brutal  thrust  sent 
her  flying  from  him,  and  uttering  a  foul  oath  left 
the  room.  Saved  from  this  monster,  but  ex¬ 
hausted,  she  lay  on  the  bed  panting  and  weeping 
bitterly. 

Her  soul  burned  within  her.  All  her  sweet 
docility  had  left  her.  Her  heart  was  filled  with 
hate.  She  could  have  taken  human  life  had  the 
opportunity  been  afforded  her. 

She  hated  Jue  Yat  for  his  bestial  brutality.  She 
hated  Lee  Wing  for  his  damnable  trickery.  But 
worst  of  all — yes,  it  was  true — the  thing  which 
seared  her  very  soul — she  hated  her  own  mother. 
Oh,  how  she  hated  her ! 

Then  she  thought  of  Kim.  What  would  Kim 
say  and  do  if  he  knew  what  had  become  of  his 
little  sister? 

That  he  would  fight  to  save  her  she  was  abso¬ 
lutely  certain.  Oh,  where  was  Kim?  If  only  she 
could  find  him,  or  he  could  find  her!  She  must 
find  him.  And  he  must  save  her.  Otherwise  she 
would  have  to  kill  herself ;  for  she  would  never 
submit  to  old  Jue  Yat.  Finally,  overcome  with 
grief  and  fatigue,  she  fell  asleep. 

But  in  her  dreams  Jue  Yat  haunted  her.  There 
were  many  Jue  Yats;  and  they  were  all  seeking  to 
destroy  her.  She  strove  to  fight  them  back.  She 


44 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


fled  from  them,  stumbling  as  she  fled.  She  fled 
for  safety  to  the  arms  of  smiling  Kim,  who  ever 
receded  from  her  as  she  stretched  out  her  hands 
and  sought  to  fly  to  him. 


IV 


LOUIE  SAM  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY 

1 

JUE  YAT  was  still  smarting  over  his  defeat 
of  the  night  before,  and  was  in  an  ugly, 
sullen  mood. 

He  had  had  a  special  reason  for  desiring  to 
conquer  Ah  Mae  on  that  particular  night,  for  the 
next  day  he  was  to  give  the  party  which,  although 
she  did  not  know  it,  had  really  been  arranged  to 
celebrate  the  acquiring  of  his  new  concubine. 

“  T’iu  na  ma  ”  *  he  snarled,  as  he  looked  up  and 
saw  Ah  Mae  entering  the  room. 

He  was  engaged  in  the  task  of  manipulating  a 
pill  of  opium  for  his  pipe,  preparatory  to  a  quiet 
smoke  by  means  of  which  he  hoped  to  calm  his 
ruffled  spirits  and  put  himself  in  a  better  frame  of 
mind  for  meeting  his  friends;  and  the  appearance 
of  the  girl  served  to  rekindle  his  wrath. 

“  Pa  Lo  Poh  ”  was  a  term  of  ridicule  which  he 
and  his  friends  used  to  designate  one  of  their 
number  who  was  ruled  by  his  wife.  What  would 
they  say  of  him  if  they  knew  that  he  had  been 
defied  and  routed  by  this  new  and  unsophisticated 
concubine  ? 

They  must  never  know  it. 

*  A  Chinese  oath. 

45 


46 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


“  Come  here,  yeh  tsai,”  *  he  growled,  laying 
aside  his  opium  and  coming  to  a  sitting  posture  on 
the  opium  divan. 

She  came  and  stood  before  him. 

“  Now  you  listen  to  what  I  tell  you,”  he  said 
fiercely,  “  maybe  you  don’t  love  me  now.  Maybe 
you  will  love  me  better  by  and  by.  Maybe  not. 
But  no  matter ;  you  belong  to  me  and  here  you  will 
stay.  If  you  do  as  I  tell  you  everything  will  be 
alright.  You  shall  have  lots  of  pretty  clothes  to 
wear,  very  little  work  to  do;  and  just  have  an  easy 
time  like  a  lady.  But  if  you  don’t  submit  to  my 
wishes  it  will  be  the  worse  for  you,  I  can  tell  you 
that.” 

Ah  Mae  hung  her  head  and  made  no  reply.  She 
knew  there  was  nothing  to  be  gained  by  provoking 
him  to  further  anger. 

“  I’ll  tell  you  one  thing,”  he  continued,  pulling 
her  down  on  the  divan  beside  him,  “  you  belong  to 
me  now.  You  have  but  one  man  to  please — Jue 
Yat — and  he  is  a  good  master  to  those  who  obey 
him.  But  if  you  do  not  like  it  here,  then  I  will 
sell  you  to  a  “  lo-gooi-gai,”  where  you  will  have 
many  men  to  please,  and  much  bitterness.  How 
would  you  like  that,  eh  ?  ” 

He  pushed  her  from  him  and  returned  to  the  task 
of  preparing  his  opium. 

Ah  Mae,  seeing  no  reason  to  remain,  walked 
sadly  out  into  the  kitchen. 


*  A  term  of  deepest  reproach. 


LOUIE  SAM  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY  47 


“  Tsat !  saam ! — ee !  luk ! — sz !  saam !  ” 

Roars  of  laughter,  amidst  which  Louie  Sam 
lifted  to  his  lips  the  tiny  wine  cup  and  swallowed 
its  contents. 

“  Paat !  sz ! — saam !  saam ! — tsat !  ee ! — luk ! 
paat !  ” 

Another  hilarious  outburst,  and  Louie  Sam  again 
imbibed. 

The  banquet  had  reached  the  stage  where  the 
game  of  Chai  Mooi  was  in  full  swing. 

For  the  sake  of  those  readers  who  have  never  at¬ 
tended  a  Chinese  banquet  of  the  riotous,  reveling 
kind,  it  may  be  well  to  give  a  brief  description  of 
this  highly  elevating  pastime  known  as  Chai  Mooi. 

The  players  face  each  other,  and  simultaneously 
throw  out  their  right  hands  across  the  table,  ex¬ 
tending,  as  they  do  so,  any  number  of  fingers  they 
please.  At  the  same  time  each  yells  a  number,  say 
four  or  five  or  eight.  The  one  who  calls  the  num¬ 
ber  equal  to  the  sum  of  the  extended  fingers  on  the 
two  right  hands  is  the  winner.  For  instance,  if 
one  man  had  extended  three  fingers  and  the  other 
four,  the  one  who  called  “  seven  ”  would  be  the 
winner.  If  neither  calls  the  right  number  it  passes, 
and  they  call  again.  Sometimes  a  string  of  calls 
in  rapid  succession  is  made  before  one  man  hits  the 
right  number.  The  loser  must  drink;  and  the 
object  of  each  player  is  to  get  his  opponent  drunk. 

The  game  becomes  louder,  more  hilarious  and 
more  exciting  as  it  progresses. 


48 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


Louie  Sam,  who  on  this  particular  occasion  had 
been  caught  off  his  guard  half  a  dozen  times,  was 
a  popular  young  highbinder  of  the  Sing  Dong 
Tong. 

He  was  younger  than  the  other  guests  by  a  num¬ 
ber  of  years ;  and  his  presence  there  was  explained 
by  the  fact  that  he  was  numbered  by  Jue  Yat 
among  his  most  “  useful  ”  friends;  having  in  the 
past  rendered,  to  that  worthy,  service  of  a  highly 
valuable  nature.  He  had  a  record  which,  had  it 
been  possible  to  pin  it  to  him,  would  have  led  him 
to  the  gallows  long  ago;  and,  if  Chinese  high¬ 
binders  notched  their  guns  instead  of  throwing 
them  away  as  they  do,  Louie  Sam’s  weapon  would 
carry  several  decorations. 

He  was  a  handsome  fellow,  however.  Perhaps 
one  might  describe  him  as  wickedly  handsome. 
He  was  usually  well  dressed  and  scrupulously 
groomed.  No  one  on  the  outside  would  have  taken 
him  for  a  highbinder;*  and  even  those  Americans 
who  knew  him  were  for  months  unwilling  to  be¬ 
lieve  the  reports  which  came  to  them  concerning 
his  activities. 

Among  his  various  accomplishments  he  was  an 
expert  at  chai  mooi.  His  eyes,  ever  wide  open  and 
watchful,  became  almost  catlike  in  their  steadiness 
when  engaged  in  this  game.  It  was  his  proud 
boast  that  he  had  never  been  put  under  the  table; 
and  on  no  occasion  had  he  been  compelled  to  drink 


*  Paid  assassin. 


LOUIE  SAM  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY  49 


more  than  two  or  three  times  during  such  a  game. 

But  Louie  was  not  himself  on  the  night  in  ques¬ 
tion.  He  had  seemed  to  be  in  the  best  of  spirits 
when  he  had  arrived;  but  soon  after  sitting  down 
to  the  table  a  change  had  come  over  him.  He  did 
not  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  party.  He  seemed 
restless  and  pre-occupied. 

The  cause  of  this  restlessness  was  the  new  con¬ 
cubine,  Ah  Mae,  who  was  waiting  on  the  guests. 

From  the  moment  he  had  first  laid  his  eyes  upon 
her,  something  had  stirred  within  him.  It  was  not 
alone  her  sweet,  demure  loveliness  that  had  at¬ 
tracted  him,  though  that  had  much  to  do  with  it; 
but  the  more  he  gazed  upon  her,  the  more  he  was 
filled  with  a  conviction  of  having  seen  her  face 
before. 

He  had  succeeded  in  hiding  from  the  other 
guests  his  interest  in  the  girl,  but  the  all-watchful 
Jue  had  not  failed  to  observe  how  often  those  big, 
dark  eyes  had  rested  upon  her.  More  than  once  he 
had  caught  this  faithful  henchman  in  a  state  of 
suspended  animation,  his  chopsticks  poised  in  the 
air,  and  his  gaze  fixed  upon  Ah  Mae,  as  she  stood 
directly  facing  him  while  pouring  tea  or  wine  for 
a  guest  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  table. 

And  now  as  the  game  of  Chai  Mooi  was  in 
progress,  and  Ah  Mae  was  filling  the  wine  cups  as 
fast  as  they  were  emptied,  her  presence  was  be¬ 
coming  more  and  more  disturbing  to  him.  It  was 
impossible  for  him  to  watch  the  fingers  of  his  op- 


50 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


ponent  as  he  should,  and  the  result  was  that  he  had 
already  taken  on  more  wine  than  was  good  for  him. 

Jue  was  uneasy,  for  his  jealous  heart  whispered 
to  him  that  Louie  was  infatuated;  and  Louie  was 
young  and  handsome,  while  Jue  was  old  and  unat¬ 
tractive.  The  old  man,  therefore,  watched  the 
younger  with  growing  concern,  hoping  he  would 
soon  become  too  drunk  to  notice  the  girl. 

Louie,  however,  managed  to  avoid  complete 
humiliation,  and  was  still  able  to  carry  himself  with 
dignity  when  the  party  broke  up  at  a  little  after 
one  in  the  morning. 

He  went  to  his  room  which,  with  the  rooms  of 
several  other  highbinders,  was  located  at  the  rear 
of  the  Sing  Dong  Tong  headquarters.  He  did  not 
go  to  bed,  however,  for  sleep  was  far  from  him. 
For  half  an  hour  he  remained  there,  now  pacing 
the  floor,  now  sitting  on  the  edge  of  his  bed, 
nervously  smoking  one  cigarette  after  another. 
Then  he  snatched  up  his  hat  and  left  the  room; 
passing  down  the  long,  narrow  stairway  and  out 
into  the  street. 

At  the  corner  of  Grant  Avenue  and  Jackson 
Street,  he  ran  into  several  members  of  the  ever- 
watchful  Chinatown  squad,  to  whom  Louie  was 
known  as  “  Handsome  Louie,”  a  particularly 
notorious  highbinder. 

“  Hey,  there,  Handsome!  What  are  you  doing 
on  the  street  at  this  time  of  night?”  asked  Ser¬ 
geant  Dawson,  placing  himself  directly  in  his  path. 


LOUIE  SAM  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY  51 


“  Me  ?  ”  ejaculated  Louie,  “  Me  sick,  must  catch 
em  little  flesh  air.” 

“  Sick,  are  you,  Louie?  What  seems  to  be  the 
trouble?  ”  asked  the  sergeant  quizzically. 

“  Don’t  know.  Maybe  dlink  em  too  muche  wine. 
Maybe  not.  Can’t  tell,”  he  replied,  as  the  sergeant 
frisked  him. 

Fortunately  for  the  handsome  one,  he  was  not 
carrying  a  gun  that  night. 

Sergeant  Dawson  stepped  aside. 

“  Give  you  fifteen  minutes  to  get  a  little  fresh 
air,  Louie.  If  you  are  on  the  street  after  that  time 
we’ll  have  to  pick  you  up.”  And  Louie  went  on 
his  way,  while  two  members  of  the  squad  followed 
in  his  wake.  Followed  in  his  wake,  because  more 
than  one  Tong  murder  has  been  committed  by 
young  gentlemen  like  Louie  who  were  “  out  to  get 
a  little  flesh  air.” 

Although  Louie,  knowing  better  than  to  over¬ 
stay  the  time  limit  given  to  him  by  Sergeant 
Dawson,  returned  in  a  few  minutes  to  his  room, 
it  was  not  until  the  first  pale  streaks  of  dawn 
were  already  visible  in  the  eastern  sky  that  he 
ceased  his  restless  tossings  and  fell,  at  last,  into  a 
deep  sleep. 

A  little  after  ten  o’clock  on  the  following  morn¬ 
ing,  in  a  cheap  underground  restaurant,  seated  in 
an  obscure  corner  where  he  could  be  alone,  he 
toyed  with  a  bowl  of  rice,  some  roast  pork  and  a 
little  salt  fish.  Still  deep  in  thought,  and  restless, 


52 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


he  seemed  indifferent  to  his  food,  but  sipped  his 
tea  frequently. 

Then,  just  as  his  chopsticks  were  engaged  in 
conveying  a  morsel  of  food  from  the  dish  to  his 
mouth,  they  became  stationary  in  mid  air,  and  he 
sat  staring  into  space. 

A  look  of  mingled  enlightenment  and  incredulity 
spread  over  his  face. 

A  few  moments  longer  he  sat  lost  in  thought, 
then,  with  the  air  of  one  who  had  hit  upon  a  clew, 
he  pushed  the  remainder  of  his  breakfast  aside, 
crossed  to  the  cashier’s  desk  and  paid  his  bill,  hur¬ 
ried  up  the  narrow  stairway  to  Jackson  Street,  and 
returned  in  all  haste  to  his  room. 

Locking  the  door,  he  fell  upon  his  hands  and 
knees,  and  from  under  his  bed  lugged  an  old 
Chinese  trunk. 

Eagerly  he  threw  back  its  lid  and  dived  into  it, 
scattering  the  contents  on  the  floor  around  him, 
with  all  the  feverish  impatience  of  a  young  terrier 
hot  on  the  scent  of  a  rat. 

Suddenly  his  activities  ceased. 

Kneeling  before  the  trunk  he  held  something  in 
his  hand— -evidently  the  object  of  his  search — and 
scrutinized  it  carefully. 

At  length  he  slipped  it  into  the  inside  pocket  of 
his  coat,  gathered  up  the  other  things  from  the 
floor  and  returned  them  to  the  trunk,  slammed 
down  the  lid,  and  pushed  the  trunk  again  under  the 
bed.  Then  rising  to  his  feet  he  left  his  room  and 


LOUIE  SAM  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY  53 

turned  his  footsteps  in  the  direction  of  Jue  Yat’s 
place. 

Under  the  pretense  of  seeking  the  old  man’s 
advice,  but  in  reality  with  the  one  purpose  of  get¬ 
ting  another  look  at  Ah  Mae,  he  tapped  on  the  door 
of  No.  36. 

Jue  himself  appeared;  and  on  seeing  who  stood 
without,  there  came  upon  his  countenance  an  ex¬ 
pression  of  suspicion  and  displeasure. 

But  by  Louie  Sam’s  air  of  mystery  as  he  placed 
his  forefinger  to  his  lips,  and  stepped  quietly  in, 
and  by  the  confidential  and  trusting  manner  in 
which  he  informed  the  old  man  that  he  had  come  to 
seek  his  advice,  the  latter  was  thrown  off  his  guard, 
and  his  suspicions  removed. 

i  Seated  in  the  parlour  of  Jue’s  home,  the  young 
man  proceeded  to  explain  the  matter  which  was  to 
serve  as  an  excuse  for  his  coming. 

He  had  been  offered  a  sum  of  money  to  perjure 
himself  at  an  approaching  Tong  murder  trial. 
Lew  Poy,  another  highbinder  of  the  Sing  Dong 
Tong,  had  been  arrested  and  charged  with  the 
murder  of  a  member  of  a  rival  Tong,  who  had  been 
found  dead  in  his  room.  There  was  nothing  but 
very  strong  circumstantial  evidence  against  Lew 
Poy,  and  an  effort  was  to  be  made  to  prove  an 
alibi.  Louie  Sam  and  two  other  Chinese  from 
Oakland  were  to  testify  that  on  the  evening  in 
question  all  four  of  them  spent  the  evening  to¬ 
gether  in  Oakland. 


54 


tTHE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


As  Louie  had  actually  been  an  accomplice  in  the 
murder,  and  was  pretty  sure  that  neither  he  nor 
Lew  Poy  had  been  seen  by  a  single  soul,  he  thought 
it  a  pretty  safe  chance,  and  had  really  already  made 
up  his  mind  what  he  would  do  about  it. 

The  matter  served  very  conveniently  at  this  time, 
however;  and  the  old  man,  flattered  that  his  advice 
should  be  sought  by  this  daring  young  gunman, 
entered  most  heartily  into  the  discussion  of  the 
matter. 

Fortune  smiled  upon  Louie,  for  in  response  to 
Jue  Yat’s  call  Ah  Mae  appeared  bearing  a  tray  of 
tea  things. 

Her  finery  of  the  night  before  had  been  laid 
aside,  and  she  was  dressed  in  the  garb  of  a  house 
servant.  Her  eyes  were  downcast,  and  bore  evi¬ 
dence  of  much  weeping;  but  the  moment  Louie 
looked  at  her  he  was  filled  with  emotions  which 
he  had  difficulty  in  disguising. 

As  she  was  placing  the  tea  things  on  a  little  table 
a  short  distance  from  where  they  sat,  the  telephone 
rang  in  the  next  room,  and  Jue  Yat  went  to 
answer  it. 

This  was  Louie’s  opportunity.  He  thrust  his 
hand  into  the  inside  breast  pocket  of  his  coat,  and 
partially  withdrew  the  object  which  he  had  recov¬ 
ered  from  the  bottom  of  his  trunk. 

Alternately  he  studied  first  it  and  then  the  face 
of  the  girl  who  stood  so  close  to  him,  engaged  in 
pouring  tea.  His  jaws  were  tightly  closed,  his  lips 


LOUIE  SAM  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY  55 

firmly  pressed  together,  his  nostrils  dilated,  and  his 
eyebrows  puckered.  He  was  about  to  speak  to  the 
child  when  Jue  Yat  re-entered  the  room. 

He  quickly  replaced  in  his  pocket  the  object 
which  he  had  partly  withdrawn;  and  by  means  of 
the  art  of  self-control,  practised  to  such  perfection 
by  the  Chinese,  he  suppressed  his  agitation,  and 
returned  to  the  matter  which  they  had  been  discuss¬ 
ing  at  the  time  they  were  interrupted. 

After  passing  the  tea  Ah  Mae  withdrew,  leaving 
the  two  men  alone.  For  an  hour  they  talked;  and 
Louie,  who  maintained  a  calm  exterior,  was, 
within,  agitated  almost  beyond  endurance. 

He  had  come  there  with  a  purpose  which  he 
had  not  yet  fulfilled.  Back  there  in  his  room  he 
had,  he  thought,  made  a  discovery.  He  was 
pretty  sure  he  was  not  mistaken,  but  he  wanted  to 
be  certain. 

He  must  not  leave  there  until  he  was  certain. 

His  crafty  brain  worked  swiftly. 

Deftly  he  maneuvered  the  conversation  until  he 
was  able  quite  naturally  to  suggest  that  Jue  Yat 
call  a  certain  party  on  the  telephone;  at  the  same 
time  he  so  toyed  with  his  empty  tea  cup  as  to  cause 
his  host  to  summon  Ah  Mae  to  replenish  the  ex¬ 
hausted  supply  of  tea. 

Fortune  had  again  smiled  upon  him;  and  he  was 
determined  that  this  time  the  opportunity  should 
not  pass. 

He  quickly  jerked  the  object  from  his  pocket 


56 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


and  thrust  it  out  toward  the  girl,  at  the  same  time 
eagerly  beckoning  her  to  come  toward  him. 

“  Nei  ying  tak  m  ne?”  (Do  you  recognize 
that?)  he  said  in  a  quick,  tense  whisper. 

The  girl  gave  a  start;  with  both  hands  clasped 
her  bosom,  and  exclaimed  under  her  breath,  “  It 
is  Kim!  Where  did  you  get  that  picture?  Do 
you  know  my  brother?  Tell  me  where  he  is.” 

The  object  which  he  had  thrust  before  her  was 
a  photograph  of  herself  and  her  beloved  Kim,  taken 
at  Saam  Shui  at  the  time  they  had  made  the  trip 
together,  just  prior  to  Kim’s  leaving  for  America. 

Before  Louie  could  answer  Jue  Yat  was  heard 
returning. 

The  photograph  was  hastily  returned  to  its  place; 
and  Louie’s  attention  became  centered  in  the  act  of 
lighting  a  cigarette. 

As  Jue  entered  the  room  Ah  Mae  retired;  as  she 
did  so  casting  at  Louie  one  lingering,  appealing 
look;  which  was  answered  by  a  steadfast  assuring 
gaze  which  seemed  to  say,  “  I  will  surely  return.” 

He  did  return.  Three  days  in  succession  he 
came ;  but  Ah  Mae  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  The 
old  man  was  either  suspicious  or  jealous.  Perhaps 
both.  Louie  began  to  fear  that  she  had  been  spir¬ 
ited  away  for  the  time  being;  and,  therefore,  de¬ 
termined  on  a  bold  move  to  find  out  if  such  were 
the  case.  Choosing  a  time  when  he  knew  Jue  Yat 
would  be  out,  and  the  children  at  school,  he  called 
at  the  house.  Ah  Mae  opened  the  door  to  him. 


LOUIE  SAM  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY  57 


“  He  is  not  here/’  she  said. 

“  Never  mind  him,”  said  Louie  hastily.  “  Do 
you  know  who  I  am  ?  ” 

“  I  know  that  you  are  one  of  Jue  Yat’s  friends,” 
she  replied,  “  but  tell  me  about  the  picture.  It  is 
my  brother,  Kim.  Do  you  know  where  he  is  ?  ” 

“  Why  do  you  want  him  ?  ”  asked  Louie,  smiling. 

“  I  want  him  to  take  me  away  from  this  place, 
and  from  this  old  man,”  she  gasped. 

“  Nei  m  shik  ngoh  me?”  (Do  you  not  know 
me?)  he  said  in  a  hoarse  whisper,  “  I  am  Kim.” 

“  You  my  brother,  Kim?  You,  a  highbinder?  ” 
she  exclaimed  in  astonishment. 

He  assured  her  that  he  was  her  brother ;  and  re¬ 
minded  her  of  the  trip  they  had  made  together  at 
the  time  the  picture  had  been  taken. 

Our  readers  are  now  expecting  to  see  them  fly 
into  each  other’s  arms,  and  clasp  each  other  in 
fond  embrace.  But  these  were  Chinese  young 
people.  She  stood  before  him  and  wept — wept  out 
the  story  of  her  betrayal  by  her  own  mother,  of 
the  trickery  of  Lee  Wing,  of  the  brutality  of  Jue 
Yat;  and  he,  leaning  against  the  door  post,  listened 
in  silence. 

When  Kim  had  first  arrived  in  the  United  States 
he  had  been  an  unsophisticated  country  boy. 

He  had  come  over  with  his  father’s  youngest 
brother,  Wong  Toy,  who  was  returning  from  a 
visit  to  China,  and  had  been  landed  as  his  son. 


58 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


Thus,  by  a  trick  not  uncommon  among  a  certain 
class  of  Chinese,  he  appeared  to  satisfy  the  require¬ 
ments  of  section  six  of  the  Chinese  Exclusion  Act. 

Wong  Toy  passed  as  a  merchant.  His  papers, 
taken  out  at  the  time  of  his  return  to  China,  stipu¬ 
lated  that  he  was  a  bona  fide  merchant;  which 
means  that  he  had  satisfied  the  immigration 
authorities  that  he  was  such. 

But  thereby  hangs  a  tale:  The  Chinese  Ex¬ 
clusion  Law  of  1893,  known  as  the  MeCreary  Act, 
defined  a  merchant  as :  “a  person  engaged  in  buy¬ 
ing  and  selling  merchandise,  at  a  fixed  place  of 
business,  which  is  conducted  in  his  name,  and  who, 
during  the  time  he  claims  to  be  engaged  as  a  mer¬ 
chant,  does  not  engage  in  the  performance  of  any 
manual  labour  except  such  as  is  necessary  in  the 
conduct  of  his  business  as  such  merchant.” 

Wong  Toy’s  claim  to  be  classed  as  a  merchant 
rested  in  the  fact  that  he  had  the  sum  of  five  hun¬ 
dred  dollars  invested  in  a  legitimate  business  in 
Fresno,  Calif.,  and  that  he  spent  an  hour  or  so  in 
the  store  most  every  morning.  His  real  business, 
however,  was  the  operation  of  a  notorious  gam¬ 
bling  house  in  China  Alley,  Eresno;  which  was  a 
veritable  little  gold  mine  for  Wong. 

When  he  left  the  United  States  on  the  afore¬ 
mentioned  trip  to  China,  he  had  satisfied  the  Im¬ 
migration  Authorities  that  he  was  a  domiciled 
bona  fide  merchant.  In  order  to  do  this  he  had, 
according  to  the  requirements  of  the  law,  estab- 


LOUIE  SAM  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY  59 


fished  by  the  testimony  of  two  credible  white  wit¬ 
nesses,  the  fact  that  he  had  conducted  the  business 
of  a  merchant  for  at  least  one  year  before  his  de¬ 
parture  from  the  United  States. 

To  thus  establish  his  status  as  a  merchant  might 
seem  on  the  face  of  it  to  be  a  somewhat  difficult 
matter ;  but  to  one  such  as  Wong  Toy  it  was  no  job 
at  all,  as  witness  the  following  dialogues : 

Scene:  Office  of  the  Department  of  Immigration, 
Fresno,  Calif. 

Time:  Few  weeks  before  Wong  Tong  sailed  for 
China. 

Enter  white  witness  who  has  come  to  testify  in 
behalf  of  Wong. 

Immigration  Officer:  “  What  is  your  name?” 

Witness:  “  John  Smith.” 

“  What  is  your  business  ?  ” 

“  I  drive  an  ice  wagon  for  the  Fresno  Ice  Co.” 

“  Who  is  the  person  represented  by  this 
photograph?”  (showing  photograph  of  alleged 
merchant) . 

“  Wong  Toy.” 

“  When  did  you  first  become  acquainted  with 
him?” 

“  About  a  year  ago.” 

“  What  occupation  was  he  following  at  that 
time?” 

“  Merchant.” 

“  What  has  been  his  occupation  during  the  past 
twelve  months  ?  ” 


60 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


“  He  has  been  occupied  in  his  stored 
“Of  what  firm  is  he  a  member?  ” 

“  Lee  On  Co.” 

“  What  is  the  character  of  the  firm’s  business?  ” 
“  Grocery  and  meat  market.” 

“  How  often  have  you  visited  the  firm  during 
the  past  twelve  months  ?  ” 

“  Two  or  three  times  a  week.” 

“  Why  do  you  visit  the  firm  ?  ” 

“  To  deliver  ice.” 

“  During  the  time  you  have  known  him,  has  he 
ever  done  manual  labour  ?  ” 

“Not  to  my  knowledge.” 

“  Has  he  ever  been  away  from  his  place  of 
business  for  as  long  a  time  as  a  month  during  the 
past  twelve  months?  ” 

“  I  don’t  think  so.” 

“  What  other  members  of  the  firm  do  you 
know  ?  ” 

“  I  know  two  or  three  by  sight,  but  I  only  know 
well  Wong  Him  and  a  Chinaman  they  call  Jack.” 

“  Do  you  consider  that  you  know  the  applicant 
better  than  you  know  other  members  of  the  firm, 
having  had  your  attention  called  to  him  because 
of  his  dress,  appearance,  knowledge  of  English, 
knowledge  of  the  firm’s  business  or  any  other 
reason?  ” 

“  I  know  him  better  than  I  know  the  others.  I 
guess  it  is  because  he  always  speaks  to  me  and 
seems  sort  of  friendly.” 


LOUIE  SAM  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY  61 


u  Has  the  applicant’s  firm  any  connection  with  a 
restaurant,  lodging  house,  barber  shop,  pawn  shop, 
gambling  house,  or  any  business  of  an  unlawful 
or  questionable  character?  ” 

“  Not  to  my  knowledge.” 

“  Could  you  offer  in  evidence  order  forms,  ac¬ 
count  books,  cancelled  checks,  receipted  bills  or 
similar  documents  relating  to  transactions  you  have 
had  with  this  applicant?  ” 

"  My  firm  could,  but  I  am  not  sure  that  they 
would  be  signed  by  him  personally.  I  think  they 
would  be  signed  Lee  On  Co.” 

“  The  Chinese  Exclusion  Law  defines  a  mer¬ 
chant  as  follows :  e  A  merchant  is  a  person  engaged 
in  buying  and  selling  merchandise  at  a  fixed  place 
of  business,  which  business  is  conducted  in  his 
name;  and  who  during  the  time  he  claims  to  be 
engaged  as  a  merchant  does  not  engage  in  the  per¬ 
formance  of  any  manual  labour,  except  such  as  is 
necessary  in  the  conduct  of  his  business  as  such 
merchant.’ 

“  From  your  observation  of  the  applicant  cover¬ 
ing  the  last  twelve  months,  are  you  fully  convinced 
that  he  is  entitled  to  be  classed  as  a  merchant,  as 
the  law  defines  the  term  ‘  merchant  ’  ?  ” 

“  To  the  best  of  my  knowledge  he  is  entitled  to 
be  so  classed  except  that  the  business  is  not  con¬ 
ducted  in  his  name.  They  have  a  company  name.” 
“  Yes,  that  situation  is  provided  for.” 

“  Mr.  Smith,  do  you  solemnly  swear  that  the 


62 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


evidence  you  have  given  in  this  case  is  the  truth, 
the  whole  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth,  so  help 
you  God? ” 

“  I  do.” 

“  You  will  kindly  sign  your  name  on  the  dotted 
line,  Mr.  Smith.” 

“  Thank  you,  Mr.  Smith.  Good  afternoon.” 

(Exit  Mr.  Smith  and  enter  Mr.  Brown,  who 
comes  for  the  same  purpose,  is  asked  the  same  ques¬ 
tions  and  answers  them  in  very  much  the  same 
manner. ) 

Thus  out  of  the  mouths  of  two  credible  white 
witnesses  Wong  Toy  has  established  his  status  as 
a  merchant 

How  very  simple! 

About  a  year  before  the  time  he  expected  to  sail 
for  China  he  had  selected  his  victims.  He  selected 
four  of  them  so  as  to  allow  for  any  contingency 
which  might  arise  should  one  or  more  of  them  dis¬ 
continue  their  regular  visits  to  the  store  before  the 
year  elapsed.  All  of  those  chosen  were  persons 
who  called  at  the  store  frequently  and  at  regular 
hours.  Furthermore,  they  all  were  persons  who 
made  their  calls  in  the  early  part  6f  the  forenoon,  a 
time  when  there  was  little  doing  at  Wong’s  gam¬ 
bling  house  around  the  corner.  It  was  the  simplest 
thing  in  the  world  for  Wong  Toy  to  be  on  hand 
almost  every  time  they  called,  and  by  his  pleas¬ 
antries  to  call  attention  to  himself  in  such  a  man¬ 
ner  as  to  leave  very  definitely  upon  their  minds 


LOUIE  SAM  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY  63 


the  impression  of  his  being  an  active  member  of 
the  firm. 

In  this  particular  case  John  Smith,  the  ice  man, 
and  William  Brown,  the  driver  of  the  bread  wagon, 
the  two  who  were  chosen  by  W ong  to  be  of  assist¬ 
ance  to  him  in  this  “  little  matter,”  were  in  no 
sense  to  blame.  They  testified  sincerely  and,  to  the 
best  of  their  knowledge,  truthfully;  with  a  feeling 
that  in  so  doing  they  were  helping  out  a  “  pretty 
decent  sort  of  a  Chinaman  ”  who  wanted  to  visit 
his  native  land. 

Kim  became  quickly  initiated  into  his  uncle’s 
business,  and  soon  learned  to  take  his  part  in  the 
running  of  the  games,  viz.,  fan  tan,  paak  kop  piu, 
do  pooi,  etc. 

All  the  Wong  fraternity  were  members  of  the 
Sing  Dong  Tong,  one  of  the  most  powerful  Tongs 
in  America,  and  one  which  harboured  and  pro¬ 
tected  most  of  the  gambling  interests  in  Fresno’s 
Chinatown.  Kim,  as  a  matter  of  course,  was  early 
initiated  into  this  society. 

He  had  not  been  a  bad  boy  in  his  home  village. 
The  glimpse  we  had  of  him  there  in  his  kindly 
treatment  of  his  sister  is  sufficient  to  assure  us  of 
that.  He  had  come  to  America  in  a  plastic  state. 
Had  he  come  into  a  wholesome  environment,  had 
good  influence  been  brought  to  bear  upon  him,  had 
he  come  in  contact  with  the  forces  which  make  for 
social  betterment  and  the  inculcation  of  American 


64 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


ideals,  Kim  would  in  all  probability  have  re¬ 
sponded,  as  have  so  many  of  his  young  fellow- 
countrymen,  and  have  become,  instead  of  a  liability 
to  the  country  of  his  adoption,  an  asset  of  which 
she  might  justly  be  proud. 

But,  as  we  have  seen,  Kim  fell  in  with  the 
wrong  crowd  and  was  rapidly  inducted  into  all  the 
nefarious  practices  of  America’s  Chinese  under¬ 
world.  Fie  was  physically  fit,  and  as  the  years 
went  by  he  developed  into  a  handsome  young 
husky;  becoming  imbued  with  a  strong  spirit  of 
adventure  and  daring.  These  fine  qualities,  which 
rightly  encouraged  and  directed  would  have  made 
a  useful  citizen  of  him,  perverted  and  prostituted, 
resulted,  in  a  few  years,  in  making  of  him  one  of 
the  most  daring  and  dangerous  highbinders  of  the 
Sing  Dong  Tong.  So  valuable  did  he  become  to 
this  organization  that  he  was  brought  by  them  to 
their  San  Francisco  headquarters,  where,  in  one 
way  or  another,  he  was  almost  constantly  made 
use  of. 

Early  in  his  life  as  a  highbinder  he  had  assumed 
the  name  of  Louie  Sam;  and  with  a  new  name  and 
so  vastly  changed  appearance  it  was  no  wonder 
that  his  little  sister  did  not  recognize  him. 

As  he  listened  to  her  story  the  muscles  of  his 
face  twitched,  and  his  fingers  went  nervously  to 
his  hip  pocket,  as  his  first  thought  was  to  lay  in 
wait  for  Jue  Yat  and  to  kill  him  on  his  return.  He 
was  not  armed,  however,  and  even  if  he  had  been 


LOUIE  SAM  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY  65 


he  would  not  have  dared  to  raise  his  hand  against 
the  Secretary  of  his  own  Tong — for  such  was 
Jue  Yat. 

His  next  thought  was  to  take  Ah  Mae,  and  flee 
with  her  to  safety.  But  he  had  made  no  prepara¬ 
tion  for  such  a  move;  and  to  have  made  such  a 
move  without  preparation  would  mean  certain  fail¬ 
ure  and  death.  He  was  not  afraid  of  death;  but 
he  must  not  fail  in  his  purpose  to  rescue  his  sister. 

Placing  his  hands  upon  her  shoulders  he  looked 
into  her  tear-stained  face,  and  swore  to  save  her 
within  the  next  few  days,  even  if  it  should  cost 
him  his  life. 

“Mo  chut  sheng  (keep  your  mouth  shut),”  he 
said.  “  But  be  ready.” 

And  he  beat  a  hasty  retreat  lest  Jue  Yat  should 
return  and  find  him  there. 


V 

PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT 


OOD-MORNING,  Lo  Mo!  ” 
l  y  “  Good-morning,  Hattie — Why,  my  dear, 
you  seem  agitated  this  morning!  What 
can  have  happened  to  disturb  your  peace  of  mind 
so  early  in  the  day  ?  ” 

Catherine  McCormack,  the  Superintendent  of  a 
large  rescue  home  for  Chinese  girls,  was  in  the  act 
of  leaving  her  room  preparatory  to  going  down  to 
breakfast ;  and  as  she  stepped  into  the  hall  had  en¬ 
countered  Hattie  Ferris,  her  efficient  and  faithful 
assistant,  whose  flushed  cheeks  and  belaboured 
breathing,  resulting  from  her  rapid  ascent  of  the 
stairs,  justified  the  conclusion  that  there  was  some¬ 
thing  “  in  the  air.” 

“  It  is  this,  Lo  Mo.  Kum  Nue  found  it  this 
morning.  Somebody  must  have  slipped  it  in  under 
the  front  door  during  the  night.” 

She  thrust  into  the  other’s  hand  a  soiled  envelope 
upon  which  was  inscribed  in  scrawlly  hand-writing, 
“  Misee  Cormak  Misshun  Hows.” 

The  Superintendent  tore  it  open. 

Within  was  a  slip  of  paper  upon  which  was 
more  of  the  same  hand-writing. 

“  Misse  Cormak  yu  go  pletty  quik  243  Joss  alle 


66 


PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT 


67 


36  Jue  yat  place  cache  one  small  girl  all  same  slave 
girl  me  highbinder  no  can  cum  yu  hows  no  likee  my 
sistr  be  such  place  hully  quik.” 

Catherine  McCormack,  or  Lo  Mo  (Mother),  as 
she  was  endearingly  called  by  her  associates,  was  a 
woman  of  medium  height,  somewhat  frail  in  ap¬ 
pearance,  but  of  erect  and  soldierly  bearing.  Her 
abundant,  soft  and  wavy  hair  had  at  one  time  been 
a  deep  brown ;  but  the  experiences  of  the  past  years 
had  changed  it  to  a  steel  grey.  Her  eyes  were  grey, 
flecked  with  gold,  clear,  steady,  unquestionably 
sympathetic;  and  yet  in  them  not  infrequently 
shone  the  gleam  of  quiet  defiance.  Her  mouth, 
which  was  of  generous  proportion,  firm  and  reso¬ 
lute,  had  a  slightly  downward  curve  at  the  corners ; 
but  such  as  indicates  determination  rather  than  pro¬ 
duces  sourness  of  expression.  As  the  name  would 
imply  she  was  of  Scotch  descent.  She  rejoiced  in 
a  heritage  of  splendid  ancestry,  which  stood  out  all 
over  her,  and  found  expression  in  every  move.  It 
was  seen  in  her  very  carriage,  which  reminded  one 
of  the  elastic  tread  and  steady  swinging  gait  of 
some  indomitable  Gordon,  Cameron  or  Douglas. 
It  was  revealed  ever  and  anon  in  an  ability  to  think 
quickly  and  to  act  with  promptness  and  resolution, 
and  in  a  ready  wit.  Again  it  flashed  in  some  out¬ 
burst  of  righteous  indignation,  or  was  displayed  in 
her  positive  refusal  to  give  up  so  long  as  a  scintilla 
of  hope  remained,  and  in  an  absolute  fearlessness  in 
the  face  of  personal  danger. 


68 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


In  the  Chinese  Community  she  was  known  as  a 
friend  of  the  unfortunate,  a  champion  of  the  weak 
and  oppressed,  an  uncompromising  foe  to  all  that 
was  evil,  a  liberator  of  slave  girls,  and  an  arch¬ 
enemy  of  the  Highbinders,  who  hated  her,  called 
her  “  The  Tiger  ”  and  “  The  White  Devil  ” ;  but 
feared  her  more  than  they  feared  any  police  officer. 

For  more  than  a  score  of  years  she  had  been 
engaged  at  the  task  of  rescuing  Chinese  slave  girls  ; 
and  during  that  time  over  fifteen  hundred  girls  had 
been  snatched  from  the  hands  of  ruthless  owners 
and  given  refuge  in  that  haven  of  safety,  “  The 
House  on  the  Hill.” 

This  was  by  no  means  the  first  letter  of  the  kind 
that  she  had  received.  A  little  drawer  in  her  study 
contained  many  such  missives.  They  had  come  to 
her  in  various  ways.  Some  through  the  mail,  some 
slipped  under  the  door,  others  brought  by  messen¬ 
gers,  and  still  others  thrust  into  her  hand,  or  into 
the  hand  of  some  one  of  her  associates,  by  a  passer 
by  on  the  street. 

All  told  the  same  story. 

Somewhere  a  voice  called  from  the  darkness. 

Somewhere  a  heart  bowed  down,  a  body  in 
bondage,  a  soul  in  chains  had  heard  of  this  fearless 
Daughter  of  the  Highlands  who  had  dedicated  her 
all  to  the  emancipation  of  the  unfortunate  and  en¬ 
slaved  Chinese  women  and  girls;  who  was  ever 
ready  to  risk  hardship,  insult,  and  even  personal 
injury,  that  she  might  strike  loose  the  shackles 


PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT 


69 


which  bound  some  life;  and  whose  head  never 
found  rest  upon  its  pillow  so  long  as  a  call  from 
the  night  remained  unanswered.  Someone  had 
heard;  and  in  somebody’s  heart  had  been  kindled 
the  hope  that  her  cry  would  be  heard  and  attended. 

Lo  Mo  linked  her  arm  in  the  arm  of  her  associ¬ 
ate;  and  together  they  descended  the  stairway  and 
entered  the  little  room  where  the  rest  of  the  staff 
awaited  them  at  the  breakfast  table. 

“  4  Me  a  highbinder,’  ”  she  repeated  as  they  went. 
“  ‘  Whatsoever  a  man  sows  that  shall  he  also  reap/ 
So  a  highbinder  has  found  his  own  sister  ensnared 
in  the  net  which  he  has  himself  helped  to  weave. ” 

Seated  at  the  head  of  the  table,  around  which 
were  gathered  her  little  band  of  faithful  workers, 
she  took  up  her  book  of  daily  readings.  This  was 
her  custom,  before  beginning  the  morning  meal. 

Singularly  enough  the  morning  message  read  as 
follows : 

“In  Thee,  0  Lord,  do  I  put  my  trust;  let  me 
never  he  ashamed.  Deliver  me  in  thy  right¬ 
eousness. 

“ Bow  down  thy  ear  to  me;  deliver  me  speed¬ 
ily.  Be  thou  my  strong  rock ,  for  an  house  of 
defense  to  save  me. 

“Pull  me  out  of  the  net  that  they  have  laid 
for  my  feet. 

“  Into  thy  hands  I  commit  my  spirit. 

“ Have  mercy  upon  me,  0  Lord,  for  I  am  in 
trouble.  For  my  life  is  spent  with  grief  and  my 
years  with  sighing.  My  strength  faileth. 

“  My  times  are  in  thy  hands;  deliver  me  from 


70 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


the  hand  of  mine  enemies ,  and  from  them  that 
persecute  me  ” 

“  Whoever  our  little  friend  may  be,”  said  Miss 
McCormack,  “  she  probably  knows  nothing  about 
the  God  of  the  Psalmist,  and  has  never  learned  to 
pray  this  prayer;  but  surely  it  is  our  privilege  to 
voice  it  for  her ;  and  then,  after  breakfast,  we  will 
commence  at  once  our  preparations  for  her  rescue.” 

Immediately  after  breakfast  Miss  Ferris,  acting 
upon  the  instructions  of  her  chief,  set  out  to  recon- 
noiter  in  the  vicinity  of  243  Joss  Alley,  with  a  view 
to  sizing  up  the  physical  situation;  while  Miss 
McCormack,  armed  with  Louie  Sam’s  letter — for 
such,  of  course,  it  was — hastened  to  the  Juvenile 
Court. 

It  required  but  a  few  words  and  little  time  to 
secure  a  bench  warrant  for  the  apprehension  of  the 
child.  Hundreds  of  times  she  had  gone  to  this 
court  on  such  errands,  and  rarely  had  she  failed  to 
secure  that  for  which  she  went. 

The  judge,  a  firm  but  kindly  man,  with  long 
years  of  experience  in  such  cases,  smiled  his  ap¬ 
proval  as  he  signed  his  name  and  set  the  seal  of  his 
court  to  the  warrant. 

“  There  you  are,  Miss  McCormack,”  he  said,  as 
he  handed  it  to  her.  “  This  is  a  great  work  you 
are  doing ;  and  it  strikes  me  that  at  the  rate  you  are 
going  it  will  not  be  long  before  there  will  be  none 
of  these  girls  left  in  captivity.” 

The  missionary  looked  at  him  in  surprise. 


PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT 


71 


“  My  dear  Judge,”  she  exclaimed,  “  in  spite  of 
all  we  are  able  to  do,  they  are  being  brought  into 
this  country  faster  than  we  can  rescue  them.” 

“  By  George !  Is  that  a  fact  ?  Well,  what  is  the 
matter  with  the  Immigration  Authorities;  can’t 
they  break  up  the  business  ?  ” 

“  They  don’t  seem  to  be  able  to  do  so.” 

“  Then  how  can  it  be  done?  ” 

A  small,  firm  fist  came  down  upon  the  judge’s 
desk  with  a  bang. 

“  Break  up  the  Highbinder  Tongs,  those  iniqui¬ 
tous  organizations  which  exist  for  the  purpose  of 
promoting  this  traffic.  That  is  the  only  way  it  can 
be  done.” 

When  Miss  McCormack  reached  the  Mission 
again  she  found  that  Hattie  Ferris  had  long  since 
returned. 

“  I  found  the  place  without  any  difficulty,”  she 
reported,  “  and  I  guess  the  child  is  there,  alright. 
As  I  was  passing  the  house  I  met  Miss  Thornton, 
of  the  Baptist  Mission,  coming  out.  I  asked  her 
if  she  knew  the  people  in  apartment  36,  and  she 
said  that  she  did;  that  their  name  is  Jue,  and  that 
they  have  two  children  in  her  school.  When  I  told 
her  the  reason  for  my  asking  she  became  greatly 
interested.  She  has  several  times  lately  noticed  a 
young  girl  there  who  is  evidently  not  a  member 
of  the  family,  who  seems  to  be  unhappy  and  to 
spend  her  time  doing  the  work  of  a  servant. 
She  would  judge,  she  said,  that  the  girl  is  about 


72 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


fifteen  or  sixteen;  so  I  guess  we  are  on  the  right 
track.” 

“  Well,  I  have  the  warrant,”  said  Miss  McCor¬ 
mack.  “  Let  us  hope  that  by  this  time  to-morrow 
the  little  prisoner  will  be  breathing  the  air  of 
freedom.” 

“  It  will  be  a  simple  matter,  I  think,  Lo  Mo.” 

“  You  can  never  tell,”  was  the  reply. 

There  were  four  in  the  party  which  left  the  Mis¬ 
sion  Home  a  little  before  seven  o’clock  the  next 
morning :  Miss  McCormack,  her  Chinese  inter¬ 
preter,  Miss  Foo,  and  two  plain  clothes  officers. 
This  hour  was  chosen  because  the  Chinese,  being 
late  risers,  the  family  would  at  that  time  be  hardly 
astir,  and  there  could  be  no  saying  that  the  child 
was  out. 

On  reaching  the  doorway  of  No.  243  Joss  Alley 
Miss  McCormack  suggested  that  the  officers  stay 
below  ready  to  respond,  should  she  call  them;  and 
that  if  she  did  not  return  within  ten  minutes  they 
should  come  on  up. 

Rap !  Rap !  Rap ! 

No  answer. 

“  They  must  not  be  up  yet.  Try  again.” 

Rap !  Rap !  Rap ! 

Still  no  answer. 

A  third  attempt.  This  time  louder  and  longer. 

The  sound  of  shuffling  of  feet,  and  a  voice  from 
within. 

“  Pin  Koh  (Who  is  it)  ?  ” 


PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT  73 

“  An  American  lady  wants  to  see  Mrs.  Jue,” 
called  Miss  Foo  in  Chinese. 

More  shuffling.  A  bolt  was  drawn,  a  key  turned 
and  the  door  opened  a  few  inches. 

Through  the  opening  of  the  door  was  revealed 
a  middle-aged  Chinese  woman  of  dishevelled  ap¬ 
pearance.  She  had  evidently  arisen  from  her  bed 
to  answer  the  door. 

“  Mat  ye  (What  do  you  want)?”  she  asked 
ill-naturedly. 

“  This  is  Miss  McCormack,  and  she  wishes  to 
talk  with  you  about  your  children,”  said  the 
interpreter;  while  the  missionary  bowed  and 
smiled  sweetly,  at  the  same  time  surreptitiously 
slipping  the  toe  of  her  shoe  into  the  opening  of 
the  door. 

But  neither  the  introduction  nor  the  precaution 
were  necessary.  Mrs.  Jue  knew  full  well  who  her 
caller  was — all  Chinatown  knew  her. 

She  threw  open  the  door,  and  with  affected  po¬ 
liteness  invited  them  to  enter. 

Several  half-dressed  children  stood  in  the  door¬ 
way  to  the  kitchen,  while  others  were  heard  moving 
about  in  another  room. 

“You  want  to  see  my  children?”  she  said. 
“  They  are  not  dressed  yet.” 

“How  many  children  have  you,  Mrs.  Jue?” 
asked  Miss  McCormack  through  the  interpreter. 

“  Eight.” 

“  Eight  children !  Why  that  is  quite  a  family, 


74 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


isn’t  it;  and  must  mean  a  lot  of  work.  I  suppose 
you  have  a  servant  ?  ” 

“  No.  I  had  one  but  she  was  no  good.  I  sent 
her  away  yesterday.” 

Miss  McCormack’s  heart  sank  into  her  shoes. 
Was  it  possible  that  they  had  gotten  wind  of  their 
coming,  and  had  sent  the  child  away ;  or  were  they 
just  stalling  her?  Dare  she  search  the  place  and 
run  the  risk  of  failure? 

She  was  thinking  hard  and  fast,  while  her  inter¬ 
preter,  sensing  the  situation,  fenced  in  her  conver¬ 
sation  with  Mrs.  Jue. 

Footsteps  were  heard  in  the  hall. 

Miss  McCormack  rose  quietly,  stepped  briskly  to 
the  door  and  let  in  the  two  officers. 

“  What  smatter?  What  smatter?  ”  chirped  Mrs. 
Jue,  scrambling  to  her  feet  in  well-affected  surprise. 

After  a  few  low  words  with  Miss  McCormack 
the  officers  showed  their  stars,  and  one  of  them  pro¬ 
duced  from  his  pocket  a  folded  sheet  of  yellow 
paper— a  Juvenile  Court  Jane  Doe  warrant— -and 
holding  it  before  Mrs.  Jue  asked  Miss  Foo  to  ex¬ 
plain  to  her  what  it  meant. 

“No!  No!”  vigorously  protested  Mrs.  Jue. 
“  She  is  not  here.  Yesterday  I  sent  her  away.  She 
was  too  lazy.  I  did  not  want  her  here.” 

By  this  time  five  or  six  of  the  children  were 
standing  at  the  kitchen  door  gaping  at  the  scene; 
and  then  into  the  room  serenely  sailed  Jue  Yat,  an 
expression  of  bland  surprise  upon  his  face. 


PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT 


75 


“Mea?  (What  is  it?)  ”  he  asked  in  child-like 
innocence. 

Mrs.  Jue,  addressing  him,  burst  into  a  perfect 
torrent  of  Chinese  which  he  had  considerable  diffi¬ 
culty  in  checking. 

“What  you  want?”  he  inquired,  at  length,  of 
the  officers,  in  the  high,  piping  voice  employed  by 
so  many  of  the  older  Chinese  in  speaking  English. 

Miss  Foo  explained. 

“  That  girl  he  not  here  any  more.  Him  go  way 
yesday,”  said  Jue. 

“  Where  did  she  go  ?  ” 

“  Stockton.” 

“  What  time  did  she  go?  ” 

Jue  thought  a  moment. 

“  Bout  two  clock,  may  be  little  later.  I  no  mem¬ 
ber  just  zacly.” 

“  Don’t  you  lie  to  me !  ”  said  one  of  the  officers, 
moving  toward  him  in  a  menacing  attitude. 
“  Bring  out  that  girl  and  do  it  pretty - fai  fai.” 

“  I  bling  out  alio  choolen,”  squeaked  Jue.  “  You 
can  see  dese  alio  my  choolen.” 

As  the  eight  children  assembled  before  them  it 
was  perfectly  evident  that  they  were  all  his. 

"  Anyway  we’re  going  to  search  this  house,” 
said  the  officers. 

This  they  proceeded  to  do,  Miss  McCormack 
and  her  interpreter  joining  in  the  search. 

They  looked  everywhere;  under  beds,  in  cup¬ 
boards  and  closets,  in  the  ash  can  and  wash  tubs. 


76 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


They  delved  into  every  nook  and  corner  that  could 
possibly  be  a  hiding  place.  They  pounded  the 
walls,  took  down  pictures  and  removed  furniture 
in  search  of  sliding  panels  and  false  partitions.  In 
the  meantime  Jue  and  his  wife  indulged  in  a  tirade 
of  abuse  in  their  own  language. 

All  was  of  no  avail.  Ah  Mae  was  nowhere  to 
be  found. 

“  Who  took  her  to  Stockton  ?  ”  asked  Miss 
McCormack. 

“  My  niece.” 

“  What  is  she  going  to  do  there  ?  ” 

“  Work  for  my  niece.” 

“  What  is  your  niece’s  name?  ” 

“  Yen  Shee.” 

“  Where  does  she  live  in  Stockton  ?  ” 

“  902  Eldorado  Street.” 

Miss  McCormack  took  down  these  particulars, 
though  she  had  but  little  faith  in  their  genuineness. 

It  was  a  heavy-hearted  pair  that  returned  to 
breakfast  at  the  Home. 

Behind  closed  doors  Jue  Yat  and  his  wife 
smiled. 

“  T’iu  naa  maa !  How  you  do  pull !  ”  snarled 
Ah-peen  Amy.  “  You  are  as  clumsy  with  a  comb 
as  a  pig  would  be  with  a  scapel.” 

“  I  am  sorry,”  said  the  mooi-tsai,  as  she  contin¬ 
ued  quietly  in  her  efforts  to  comb  out  the  tangled 
strands  of  Amy’s  dishevelled  hair. 


PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT 


77 


The  night  before  had  been  a  wild  one  for  Amy. 
It  had  been  a  big  holiday  in  the  Chinese  Com¬ 
munity.  Callers  had  been  more  numerous  than 
usual;  and  this,  together  with  an  excess  of  Ng 
Kaa  Pay,  with  which  she  had  sought  to  offset  the 
drain  upon  her  physical  strength,  had  left  its  mark 
upon  her.  From  a  restless  sleep  she  had  awakened 
late  in  the  day  with  an  aching  head,  a  touseled 
coiffure  and  an  ugly  temper.  Even  the  generous 
meal  which  she  had  ordered  sent  in  from  the  Hang 
Far  Low  had  not  served  to  smooth  her  ruffled 
spirits. 

“  My  God !  ”  she  screeched ;  for  a  moment  for¬ 
saking  her  native  tongue.  “  Give  me  that  comb, 
k’ai  t’ai.”  And  with  one  hand  she  snatched  the 
comb  from  the  mooi  tsai,  while  with  the  other  she 
administered  her  a  stinging  blow  in  the  face  which 
sent  her  staggering  across  the  room. 

“Ah  Kum!  Lai  loh  (Come  here  Ah  Kum),,, 
she  bawled. 

In  response  to  her  summons  a  dainty  little  maid 
appeared  from  an  adjoining  room. 

She  looked  to  be  nothing  but  a  child,  but  her 
attire,  in  fact  her  whole  appearance,  proclaimed  her 
to  be  one  of  Chinatown’s  slave  girls  who  are  owned 
body  and  soul  by  those  who  exploit  them  for  im¬ 
moral  purposes.  She  was  dressed  up  and  ready  for 
her  evening’s  work. 

“  Come  here  and  fix  my  hair,”  commanded  the 
older  woman,  “  My  head  is  sore  from  the  pulling 


78 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


of  that  worthless  brat.  It  is  getting  late  and  if  I 
do  not  hurry  the  men  will  be  coming  here  before 
I  am  dressed.” 

Ah  Kum  went  to  work  with  the  deftness  of  one 
accustomed  to  the  task ;  and  the  other  woman  was 
speedily  made  ready  to  receive  her  company. 

She  was  a  notorious  figure,  this  Amy  Low,  and 
quite  popular  in  the  underworld  of  San  Francisco’s 
Chinatown.  She  was  a  slave  herself,  owned  by  a 
prominent  Tong  man,  but  she  was  also  part  owner 
of  the  younger  slave,  Ah  Kum.  In  addition  to 
her  activities  as  a  scarlet  woman  she  also  oper¬ 
ated  extensively  as  a  pedler  of  opium.  Because 
of  this  she  was  known  among  the  Chinese  as 
Ah-peen  551  Amy. 

She  was  heavily  in  debt  to  Jue  Yat  for  jewelry 
purchased  at  his  store  on  Grant  Ave.,  but  he  had 
been  very  generous  in  his  terms  for  payment. 
Therefore,  as  one  good  turn  deserves  another,  Jue 
Yat,  after  he  had  seen  Miss  Ferris  and  Miss 
Thornton  in  conversation  outside  the  apartment 
house,  fearing  a  raid,  had  hastened  to  Amy  Low 
and  quickly  arranged  to  put  Ah  Mae  in  her  care 
for  the  time  being. 

Such  a  move,  he  reasoned,  might  serve  a  two¬ 
fold  purpose.  Besides  assuring  her  safety  in  the 
event  of  a  raid  on  his  apartment  it  would  give  Ah 
Mae  an  experience  of  life  in  a  brothel,  such  as 
would  quickly  bring  her  to  terms  and  make  her  glad 

*  Ah-peen  —  Opium. 


PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT 


79 


enough  to  concede  to  his  wishes  that  she  become 
his  concubine. 

She  had  been  there  three  days — three  dreary 
days  and  three  awful  nights.  During  the  day 
time  she  had  been  kept  busy  with  household 
duties ;  and  at  night  she  had  been  forced  to 
witness  orgies  that  seared  her  soul,  from  which 
she  had  been  saved  only  by  the  fact  that  Jue 
Yat  had  entrusted  her  to  the  safe  keeping  of 
Amy  Low. 

When  Amy  had  struck  her  in  the  face  she  had 
gone  into  the  kitchen,  sank  down  on  the  floor  and 
wished  that  she  might  die. 

She  was,  however,  not  long  permitted  to  remain 
alone.  A  severe  kick  and  a  command  to  go  dress 
for  the  evening  brought  her  to  her  feet. 

Her  spirit  writhed  within  her.  She  had 
reached  the  point  where  she  was  ready  to  re¬ 
volt.  She  was  ready  to  fight,  to  scratch,  to  bite, 
to  kill  or  be  killed,  rather  than  to  submit  any 
longer  to  the  indignities  and  persecutions  which 
were  being  daily  heaped  upon  her.  But  there 
was  one  thought  which  strengthened  her  and 
gave  her  hope ;  which  helped  her  to  restrain 
her  anger  and  in  meek  obedience  to  prepare  for 
another  night  of  revelry — the  thought  of  Lum 
Ming. 

Lum  Ming  was  a  member  of  the  Suey  Dun 
Tong,  an  illicit  dealer  in  opium  on  a  large  scale, 
and  a  frequenter  of  Ah-peen  Amy’s  place. 


80 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


She  had  first  seen  him  when  she  had  been  called 
in  to  serve  him  with  wine  and  cigarettes  on  the 
evening  of  the  day  of  her  arrival. 

From  the  moment  he  had  laid  eyes  upon  this 
youthful  and  unsophisticated  little  maid  he  had 
desired  to  possess  her;  and  he  had  lost  no  time' in 
showing  her  that  he  wanted  her. 

As  she  lit  his  cigarette  for  him  he  patted  her 
hand;  and  a  little  later  as  she  passed  close  by  him 
his  arm  shot  out,  caught  her  firmly  around  the 
waist  and,  before  she  realized  what  was  happening, 
gave  her  a  jerk  which  landed  her  squarely  in 
his  lap. 

She  struggled  to  free  herself  from  him;  but 
Lum,  experienced  at  the  game,  was  too  much  for 
her.  Her  efforts  to  withdraw  her  face  from  his 
were  without  avail.  She  screamed  as  he  kissed  her 
again  and  again. 

Amy  Low,  entering  the  room,  uttered  a  loud 
guffaw. 

“  What  are  you  doing  with  the  baby,  Ah 
Ming?” 

Lum  released  the  child  and  she  fled  from  him, 
crying. 

“Little  fool!”  jeered  Amy.  “You  will  soon 
get  used  to  that  if  you  stay  here  long.” 

On  the  second  evening  Lum  Ming  came  again. 

He  had  changed  his  tactics.  He  talked 
kindly  to  her;  referred  jokingly  to  the  inci¬ 
dent  of  the  night  before;  told  her  he  had  only 


PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT 


81 


been  playing,  and  made  no  attempt  to  repeat  the 
offence. 

Then  had  come  the  third  night.  It  was  the  gala 
night  to  which  reference  has  been  made. 

There  were  several  others  there  when  he  arrived. 
He  had  come  in  response  to  a  telephone  call  from 
Amy;  and  had  brought  with  him  a  stock  of  opium 
with  which  to  replenish  her  nearly  exhausted 
supply. 

The  opium  was  secreted  about  his  person;  and 
he  went  out  to  the  back  part  of  the  house  to  “  dig  it 
out.”  Ah  Mae  went  with  him  to  receive  the  opium 
and  to  stow  it  away  in  a  cache  behind  the  gas 
stove  in  the  kitchen. 

While  the  operation  was  going  on  he  talked  to 
her  in  a  fatherly  manner.  He  asked  her  if  she  was 
happy  here;  and  she  told  him  that  she  was  not. 
She  related  to  him  her  experiences  at  Jue  Yat’s 
place,  and  spoke  of  her  brother  Kim  and  his  prom¬ 
ise  to  help  her;  and  of  her  sudden  and  mysterious 
removal  to  this  place. 

Lum  told  her  that  he  was  sorry  for  her  and 
would  help  her.  He  had  not  meant  any  harm  that 
first  night;  and  from  now  on  he  would  be  her 
friend.  He  did  not  know  this  brother  of  hers ;  but 
he  thought  he  knew  another  way  by  which  to  help 
her.  There  was  a  large  Rescue  Home  on  the  hill 
kept  by  some  American  women.  It  was  especially 
conducted  to  help  such  girls  as  she  was.  If  she 
would  rim  away  and  go  there  they  would  take  her 


82 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


in  and  give  her  a  home.  There  she  would  be  safe 
from  all  danger,  and  could  go  to  school  like 
American  girls. 

Ah  Mae’s  heart  beat  fast  as  she  thought  of 
freedom  from  Amy  and  Jue  Yat,  and  of  the  edu¬ 
cation  for  which  she  had  always  longed. 

But,  he  continued,  she  would  of  course  be  afraid 
to  run  away  alone,  and  then  she  might  have  diffi¬ 
culty  in  finding  the  Home.  If  she  would  trust  her¬ 
self  to  him  he  would  take  her  there.  He  would 
think  it  all  over  and  come  back  again  the  next  night 
to  tell  her  his  plan. 

In  spite  of  her  past  experiences  Ah  Mae  had  not 
entirely  lost  faith  in  human  nature.  She  was  a 
trusting  little  soul.  She  believed  Lum  Ming,  and 
the  remembrance  of  his  promise  gave  her  courage 
as,  aroused  by  the  kick  from  Amy,  she  rose  to  her 
feet  and  went  to  dress  for  the  evening. 

Lum  Ming  did  not  arrive  until  late  that  night; 
and  he  stayed  only  a  few  minutes. 

Amy  and  Ah  Kum  were  both  occupied,  and  did 
not  see  him. 

He  spake  but  a  few  words  with  Ah  Mae,  but 
those  few  words  were  such  as  to  cause  the  light  of 
hope  to  illumine  her  face. 

The  mooi  tsai  paused  in  her  sweeping,  and 
looked  at  the  clock. 

Seven-thirty!  She  tip-toed  back  along  the  pas¬ 
sage  to  the  door  of  Amy’s  room.  Sounds  of  heavy 


PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT 


83 


breathing  indicated  that  she  was  fast  asleep.  The 
other  two  occupants  of  the  house,  Hop  Ching — 
Amy's  owner — and  Ah  Kum,  were  also  sleeping 
soundly.  Ah  Mae  returned  to  her  task  of  sweeping 
the  front  parlour.  Again  she  looked  at  the  clock. 
Seven-thirty-five!  She  leaned  on  her  broom  and 
listened.  All  was  quiet. 

Stooping  she  examined  a  hole  in  the  carpet  made 
by  a  glowing  cigarette  stub ;  but  her  mind  was  not 
on  the  hole. 

She  picked  up  several  “  mall  jong  ”  pieces  and 
placed  them  on  the  table  where  the  rest  of  the  set 
lay  scattered,  left  there  by  the  players  of  the  night 
before. 

Dreamily  she  commenced  to  gather  them  up  and 
place  them  in  their  case ;  but  as  though  changing 
her  mind  she  took  up  her  broom  again. 

The  sound  of  footsteps  on  the  stairs.  Ah  Mae 
stood  motionless.  Her  face  paled.  The  soft  tap¬ 
ping  of  finger-tips  upon  the  door.  One-two-three- 
four-five.  Pause.  One-two-three-four-five. 

She  laid  her  broom  aside,  stepped  quietly  across 
the  hall,  fumbled  nervously  with  the  bolts  and 
night  latch,  but  succeeded  in  opening  the  door  with 
but  little  noise. 

Turn  Ming  stood  without,  and  beckoned  her 
to  follow  him.  Below  in  the  street  a  taxi 
waited;  its  engine  softly  purring,  the  driver  at 
the  wheel  ready  for  instant  action.  All  the  shades 
were  drawn. 


84, 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


The  driver  was  an  American,  not  Chinese. 
Wise  Lum  Ming ! 

As  they  rode,  Lum  explained  to  her  that  he  dared 
not  take  her  to  the  Mission  in  the  light  of  day;  he 
would  pay  for  it  with  his  life  if  he  did.  They 
were,  therefore,  going  to  his  mother,  who  would 
care  for  her  till  nightfall,  when  he  would  take  her 
to  the  “  House  on  the  Hill.” 

A  large  rectangular  room  on  the  fourth  floor  of 
an  imposing  building  located  on  one  of  the  princi¬ 
pal  thoroughfares  of  San  Francisco’s  Chinatown. 

In  the  middle  of  the  room  a  long,  massive  table 
of  hand-carved  Chinese  blackwood,  the  top  of 
which  consisted  of  a  single  slab  of  Kwong  Tung 
marble  with  a  four-inch  border  of  blackwood,  in¬ 
laid  with  mother  of  pearl,  in  floral  design.  At  the 
head  of  this  table  a  heavy  high-backed  chair  of 
blackwood;  and  at  each  side  four  smaller  straight- 
backed  chairs  of  the  same  material,  with  red  cush¬ 
ions  in  back  and  seat. 

Around  the  room,  on  three  sides,  close  against 
the  wall,  more  of  the  same  kind  of  chairs,  among 
which  were  interspersed  tea  poys  of  material  and 
design  to  match  the  larger  table. 

On  the  fourth  side  of  the  room,  the  five  thousand 
dollar  shrine  and  altar  to  the  several  gods  of  the 
Tong;  and  upon  this  stood  a  bowl  of  rare  beauty, 
shaped  like  a  lotus  lily,  and  containing  peanut  oil, 
in  which  floated  a  small  burning  wick.  Before  this 


PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT 


85 


altar  stood  five  massive  hand-wrought  incense 
containers  of  pewter  in  artistic  designs;  each  one 
more  than  five  feet  high  and  covered  with  Chinese 
inscriptions. 

Half  a  dozen  large,  handsome  and  expensive 
electroliers  of  oriental  pattern  hung  from  the  ceil¬ 
ing.  On  the  walls,  many  Chinese  scrolls,  several 
paintings  by  celestial  artists,  a  few  group  photo¬ 
graphs,  and  a  framed  certificate  which  stated  that 
certain  articles  of  incorporation  had  been  filed  at 
the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  in  Sacramento. 
— The  headquarters  of  the  Sing  Dong  Tong. 

The  air  in  the  room,  once  fragrant  with  in¬ 
cense,  was  fast  becoming  thick  with  tobacco 
fumes,  as  one  by  one,  in  response  to  the  call  of 
the  Exalted  Master,  the  officers  and  members  of 
the  Tong  arrived  for  a  special  meeting  of  grave 
importance. 

The  Exalted  Master  took  his  seat  at  the  head  of 
the  table;  the  Secretary  at  his  right  and  the  Treas¬ 
urer  at  his  left.  The  other  seats  at  the  table  were 
occupied  by  the  six  Honourable  Elders  of  the 
order. 

Other  members  of  the  Tong  occupied  seats 
around  the  room. 

At  the  far  end  of  the  room  were  seated  a  number 
of  young  huskies  of  the  gangster  type — the  High¬ 
binders,  or  salaried  soldiers  and  professional  gun¬ 
men,  of  the  Tong. 

At  the  door  by  which  entrance  was  had  from 


86 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


the  stainvay  leading  to  the  street,  two  more  high¬ 
binders  were  stationed. 

In  response  to  a  sign  from  the  Exalted  Master 
these  two  withdrew,  closed  the  door,  and  took  their 
seats  without. 

If  there  had  existed  in  the  minds  of  any  of  the 
members  of  the  Tong  any  doubt  as  to  the  nature  of 
the  meeting  it  was  dispelled  as  soon  as  they  entered 
the  room;  for  there  on  the  table  before  the  chair 
of  the  Exalted  Master  was  the  incense  bowl  and 
the  pile  of  incense  sticks;  and  on  either  side  of  his 
chair  stood  an  Incense  Bearer  wearing  the  red  sash, 
the  insignia  of  his  office. 

This  was  all  an  indication  that  at  this  meeting 
the  oath  and  covenant  were  to  be  recited. 

When  the  doors  were  closed  and  all  were  seated, 
the  Exalted  Master  called  the  assembly  to  order 
and  made  a  short  introductory  speech  in  which  he 
stated  that  the  meeting,  being  of  an  extraordi¬ 
nary  nature,  it  was  fitting  that  they  should  first 
observe  the  ceremony  and  oath  of  the  three  incense 
sticks. 

At  a  sign  from  the  Exalted  Master  the  Incense 
Bearers  distributed  the  joss  sticks — three  to  each 
man. 

When  all  were  served  the  Exalted  Master  lifted 
one  of  his  sticks  and  in  a  droning,  priestly  voice 
said : 

“  Let  the  first  oath  be  recited.” 

Each  man  lifted  one  of  his  joss  sticks  and,  led 


PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT 


87 


by  the  Secretary,  repeated  in  concert  the  first  of  the 
three  oaths  of  the  covenant. 

“  By  this  incense  stick  we  swear  to  avenge  any 
wrong  committed  against  any  brother  of  this 
Tong.” 

Lighting  his  incense  stick  and  placing  it  in 
the  incense  jar  before  him,  the  Exalted  Master 
chanted : 

“  He  who  violates  this  oath,  let  thunder  from  all 
points  annihilate  him. 

“  Let  the  second  oath  be  taken.” 

Again,  led  by  the  Secretary,  each  man  lifted  a 
second  joss  stick  and  recited: 

“  By  this  incense  stick  we  swear  to  resolutely 
and  fearlessly  fight  the  battles  of  this  Tong.” 

Again  came  the  sonorous  voice  of  the  Exalted 
Master,  as  he  lit  a  second  joss  stick  and  placed  it  in 
the  jar  before  him  : 

“  He  who  violates  this  oath  let  him  suffer  death 
by  a  thousand  knives. 

“  Let  the  third  oath  be  recited.” 

Lighting  the  third  stick  all  said : 

“  By  this  incense  stick  we  swear  to  kill  without 
mercy  all  who  lift  their  hands  against  any  member 
of  this  Tong.” 

“  He  who  fails  to  keep  this  oath,”  droned  the 
Exalted  Master,  placing  the  third  lighted  joss  stick 
in  the  jar,”  shall  without  fail  die  at  the  hands  of 
the  salaried  assassin.” 

Then  the  Exalted  Master  handed  the  incense 


88 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


bowl  with  its  three  smouldering  incense  sticks  to 
one  of  the  Incense  Bearers,  who  placed  it  upon 
the  altar;  after  which  the  Exalted  Master  again 
droned : 

“Some  who  take  oaths  are  true  but  others  false, 

But  true  brethren  are  alike  the  world  over . 

Those  who  are  true  are  honoured; 

Those  who  are  false  die  the  deaths 

The  ceremonial  part  of  the  meeting  being  over, 
the  Exalted  Master  stated  that  one  of  their  number, 
a  high  and  honoured  official  of  the  Tong,  had  a 
grievance  to  report. 

Secretary  Jue  Yat  arose  and  stated  his  case. 

Because  he  feared  that  the  Tiger  Woman  on  the 
hill  was  planning  to  raid  his  home,  he  said,  he  had 
left  his  new  concubine  at  the  house  of  a  friend  for 
safe  keeping.  A  certain  Lum  Ming  had  met  her 
there,  had  become  infatuated  with  her,  and  later 
had  returned  and  taken  her  away  by  force.  Lum 
Ming,  as  all  there  knew,  was  a  member  of  the  Suey 
Dun  Tong. 

After  much  spirited  discussion  it  was  agreed 
that  a  message  should  be  sent  to  Lum  Ming  de¬ 
manding  the  immediate  return  of  the  girl. 

Jue  Yat,  being  Secretary  of  the  Tong,  one  of 
the  Six  Elders  was  delegated  to  act  as  Secretary 
pro  tern  and  was  sent  into  an  adjoining  room  to 
get  into  telephonic  communication  with  Lum 
Ming. 


PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT 


89 


In  a  few  minutes  he  returned,  saying  that  Lum 
Ming  was  not  willing  to  return  the  girl,  but  offered 
to  pay  Jue  Yat  $2,000  for  her. 

An  indignant  message  was  returned  to  him,  de¬ 
manding  the  safe  delivery  of  the  girl  by  nine  o’clock 
the  next  morning. 

Before  the  appointed  time  a  small  group  of  of¬ 
ficials  of  the  Sing  Dong  Tong  met  to  await  news 
from  Jue  Yat. 

At  nine-fifteen  he  came,  saying  that  the  girl  had 
not  been  delivered,  but  that  Lum  Ming  had  said 
that  he  was  in  love  with  her  and  she  with  him, 
and  that  he  would  be  willing  to  pay  $4,000  as  a 
settlement. 

It  was  decided  to  give  him  one  more  chance. 
Word  was  sent  to  him  to  the  effect  that  the  girl 
must  be  returned.  He  would  be  given  twenty-four 
hours  in  which  to  make  up  his  mind  and  deliver  the 
girl  safely  to  Jue  Yat. 

The  time  given  elapsed  and  there  was  no  word 
from  Lum. 

A  meeting  was  called  for  that  night. 

At  nine  o’clock  that  night  the  Tong  met  in 
another  “  session  extraordinaire.”  The  oaths  were 
recited  with  more  spirit  and  gusto  than  ever.  War 
was  in  the  air. 

Jue  Yat  reported  that  late  that  afternoon  he  had 
received  a  message  in  an  indirect  way  to  the  effect 
that  Lum  Ming  would  even  be  willing  to  pay 
$6,000  if  he  could  keep  the  girl.  An  official  mes- 


90 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


sage  to  the  same  effect  was  also  received  from  the 
President  of  the  Suey  Duns. 

Jue  Yat  would  not  listen  to  any  such  terms.  By 
solemn  vote  it  was  decreed  that  Lum  Ming  must 
die.  The  death  sentence  was  formally  and  sol¬ 
emnly  passed  by  the  Exalted  Master  very  much 
after  the  manner  of  a  judge  in  the  Criminal  Court. 

No  further  messages  were  sent.  Preparations 
were  immediately  commenced  for  the  drawing  of 
lots  to  determine  who  should  do  the  killing;  and 
the  young  highbinders  were  summoned  to  come  and 
take  their  place  before  the  altar. 

Then  an  unusual  thing  occurred.  Just  as  lots 
were  about  to  be  drawn,  Louie  Sam  stepped  for¬ 
ward  and  volunteered  to  do  the  deed.  A  death-like 
stillness  fell  upon  the  gathering. 

Louie  Sam  was  known  to  be  a  desperate  and 
fearless  binder,  but  unless  one  had  a  personal 
grudge  against  the  man  condemned  it  was  seldom 
that  a  highbinder  volunteered  to  kill. 

Jue  Yat  displayed  no  little  nervousness,  and  sug¬ 
gested  that  the  regular  procedure  be  followed  out 
and  lots  be  drawn.  After  some  discussion  it  was 
agreed  to  accept  Louie’s  offer,  even  though  Jue 
Yat  himself  demurred  considerably.  It  was  fur¬ 
ther  agreed  that  he  should  select  his  own  accom¬ 
plice;  and  the  price  of  blood  was  set  at  $2,000. 

After  the  repetition  of  more  solemn  oaths  the 
meeting  disbanded. 

Louie  Sam  returned  to  his  room  at  the  back  of 


PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT 


91 


the  Sing  Dong  headquarters,  where  he  spent  most 
of  the  night  in  thought,  smoking  incessantly.  The 
next  day  he  took  the  first  three  steps  in  fulfilling 
his  task. 

He  selected  Ching  Toy  as  his  accomplice.  He 
rented  a  little,  vacant  store  building  at  No.  10 
Duncomb  Alley.  He  made  an  extended  call  upon 
one,  Fong  Gim. 


VI 


FLIGHT  TO  THE  HOUSE  ON  THE  HILL 


LUM  BING  was  a  hop-head. 

Everybody  knew  it ;  but  nobody  bothered 
about  it. 

He  was  over  eighty  years  of  age;  and  had 
smoked  opium  since  he  was  around  twenty.  To 
take  it  from  him  now  would  be  to  kill  him.  He 
was,  therefore,  permitted  by  the  police  to  use  the 
drug  provided  that  at  no  time  he  had  more  than 
five  taels  in  his  possession,  and  provided  he  did  not 
invite  others  to  partake  with  him. 

But  here  was  Lum  Bing’s  temptation,  and  Lum 
Ming’s  opportunity. 

Bing  was  old,  as  we  have  said.  At  the  most  he 
could  not  hope  to  live  many  more  years.  He  had 
no  children;  but  he  had  one  ardent  desire,  and  it 
had  become  a  passion  with  him.  He  desired  that 
after  death  his  bones  should  find  rest  in  Chinese 
soil.  To  purchase  a  suitable  casket,  and  ship  his 
body  to  China  would  require  no  small  sum  of 
money. 

Lum  Ming,  his  younger  kinsman,  through  his 
illicit  dealing  in  opium,  had  heaped  up  a  respectable 
pile  of  wealth,  which  was  ever  increasing.  He 
could  have  done  this  thing  for  Bing  without  feel- 


92 


FLIGHT  TO  HOUSE  ON  THE  HILL  93 


in g  the  loss.  But  Ming  was  greedy,  stony-hearted 
and  wicked.  He  saw  in  this  pathetic  old  derelict 
one  more  opportunity  to  enrich  himself.  The  fact 
that  he  was  his  own  kinsman  influenced  him  not  at 
all.  He  pointed  out  to  Lum  Bing  how  by  the  con¬ 
stant  peddling  of  small  quantities  of  opium  he 
could  become  rich,  with  but  little  danger  of  being 
caught  at  the  game. 

And  so  it  had  come  about  that  this  little  dried  up, 
bent-backed  old  man,  so  familiar  a  figure  to  all  who 
frequent  the  Chinese  quarter,  built  up  for  himself 
a  considerable  trade  in  opium,  small  supplies  of 
which  he  secured  almost  daily  from  Cum  Ming. 
He  carried  only  a  small  quantity  at  any  one  time. 
He  was  never  suspected  by  the  police;  and  if  they 
had  become  suspicious  and  searched  him  they 
would  not  have  found  more  than  five  taels  about 
him. 

He  occupied  a  room,  on  the  second  floor  of  a 
building  at  the  closed  end  of  Duncomb  Alley,  a 
narrow  semi-cul-de-sac. 

On  a  certain  evening  he  was  returning  home 
about  dusk.  The  alley  was  deserted  save  for  one 
man  who  entered  it  a  few  yards  behind  him.  Lum 
Bing  did  not  notice  him;  and  if  he  had  he  would 
have  thought  nothing  of  it.  The  atmosphere  was 
raw,  and  a  cold  rain  was  falling.  He  was  making 
his  best  speed  to  the  shelter  of  his  little  room. 

Just  as  he  came  abreast  of  the  door  of  number 
ten  Duncomb  Alley  a  figure  from  behind  caught 


94 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


up  with  him.  The  stick  upon  which  he  leaned  was 
kicked  out  from  under  him.  A  firm  hand  was 
clapped  over  his  mouth,  an  arm  tightly  encircled 
his  chest,  a  knee  pressed  into  his  back,  the  door  of 
No.  10  opened,  and  he  was  hustled  within,  helpless 
and  bewildered.  It  all  happened  in  less  time  than 
it  takes  to  tell  it. 

The  interior  was  dark,  but  he  was  able  to  dis¬ 
cern  that  there  were  two  figures  besides  his  own. 
He  was  quickly  gagged,  bound,  carried  into  a  back 
room  and  seated  upon  a  chair. 

A  lamp  was  lit  and  he  found  that  he  was  in  a 
small  room  which  contained  two  or  three  chairs,  a 
small  table,  and  a  bunk  in  which  was  a  pile  of  dirty 
bedding  and  an  opium  lay-out.  His  captors  were 
two  young  huskies  whom  he  at  once  recognized  as 
highbinders. 

Seized  with  terror,  he  began  to  plead  with  his 
eyes,  but  one  of  his  captors,  bringing  a  chair,  sat 
down  beside  him,  and  spoke  softly  and  reassuringly 
into  his  ear. 

“  Ah  Bing,”  he  said,  “  we  have  nothing  against 
you,  but  we  need  your  help  in  a  job  we  have  on 
hand.  If  you  tell  us  all  we  want  to  know,  and  do 
just  as  we  tell  you,  no  harm  will  come  to  you ;  but 
if  you  resist  us,  or  double  cross  us,  you  will  never 
see  the  light  of  day  again.  That’s  sure.” 

While  he  was  making  this  speech,  Louie  Sam, 
for  it  was  he— -toyed  with  an  ugly  knife,  the  blade 
of  which  was  at  least  six  inches  long,  and  the  point 


FLIGHT  TO  HOUSE  ON  THE  HILL  95 


of  which  he  held  menacingly  over  the  old  man’s 
heart  as  he  finished  his  remarks. 

For  a  moment,  looking  straight  into  his  vic¬ 
tim’s  eyes,  he  held  the  knife  so  that  its  point 
actually  penetrated  his  outer  garments.  Then  he 
continued : 

“  Ah  Bing,  I  am  going  to  take  out  that  gag  so 
that  you  can  talk;  but  I  warn  you  that  if  you 
make  a  sound  except  to  quietly  answer  my  ques¬ 
tions  I’ll  kill  you  as  quickly  as  I  would  a  dog. 
Understand?  ” 

The  terrified  old  man  replied  with  a  nod  of  his 
head. 

Louie  Sam,  removing  the  gag,  signed  to  his  com¬ 
panion,  Ching  Toy,  who  came  and  took  a  seat  on 
the  other  side  of  Lum,  at  the  same  time  produc¬ 
ing  from  his  pocket  a  wicked-looking  automatic 
pistol,  and  pressed  its  muzzle  against  the  old 
man’s  ribs. 

“  Now,”  said  Louie,  “  the  first  thing  I  want  to 
know  is  how  many  times  a  week  you  go  to  Lum 
Ming’s  place.” 

“  Lum  Ming,  who’s  he?  I  don’t  know  him.” 

“  Lum  Ming,  your  kinsman  who  lives  at  723 
Sacramento  St.  How  many  times  a  week  do  you 
go  there?  ” 

“  Me  ?  I  have  no  business  with  him.  I  never 
go  to  his  place.” 

“  Horn  Kaa  Chaan,  kai  tai !  ”  growled  Louie, 
giving  him  a  jab  in  the  ribs  with  the  handle  of  his 


96 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


knife.  “  Don’t  lie!  I  know  all  about  you.  You 
were  there  tonight;  and  I  know  you  go  there 
often.” 

For  some  months  Louie  Sam,  as  he  had  had  op¬ 
portunity  to  do  so,  had  studied  the  ways  of  Lum 
Bing,  having  in  mind  the  thought  that  such  a  char¬ 
acter  might  some  day  be  useful  to  him. 

The  old  man’s  eyes  now  filled  with  startled  sur¬ 
prise;  and  beads  of  perspiration  stood  out  on  the 
end  of  his  nose  as  Ching  Toy  pressed  the  revolver 
closer. 

“  Answer!”  said  Louie.  “  How  often  do  you 
go  there?  ” 

“  I  don’t  know  how  often.  If  I  have  business  I 
go.  If  not,  I  don’t  go.” 

“  What  business  ?  ” 

“  I  go  to  get  a  little  opium  sometimes.  You 
know  I  am  an  old  man,  and  must  have  a  little 
opium.” 

“  No  need  to  tell  me  that,  Ah  Bing.  I  know  all 
about  your  little  opium  business.  What  I  want  to 
know  is,  how  often  you  go  to  Lum  Ming’s  place.” 

“  I’ve  already  told  you.  If  I  have  business,  I  go. 
If  not,  I  don’t  go.” 

“  You  were  there  today?  ” 

“  Yes.” 

“  Will  you  go  back  tomorrow?  ” 

“  Don’t  know.  Maybe.  If  I  have  business,  I 
go  back.” 

“  What  time  will  you  go  back?  ” 


FLIGHT  TO  HOUSE  ON  THE  HILL  97 


“  Five  o’clock,  five-thirty;  somewhere  about  that 
time.” 

“  How  will  you  get  in?  ” 

“  Through  the  door.” 

“Who  will  open  it?” 

“  Maybe  Lurn  Ming;  maybe  his  wife ;  maybe  his 
mother,  I  don’t  know.” 

“  Will  he  be  there  ?  ” 

“  He  is  always  there  at  that  time.” 

A  gleam  shone  in  Louie’s  eyes. 

He  loosened  the  cord  which  bound  the  old  man, 
and,  motioning  to  the  bed,  said,  “  Smoke  and  sleep 
all  you  please;  but  if  you  value  your  life,  don’t 
make  a  sound  or  try  to  escape.”  And  leaving 
Ching  Toy  in  charge,  he  went  out. 

A  few  minutes’  walk  brought  him  to  the  room 
of  Fong  Gim.  Fong  Gim’s  occupation  was  varied. 
In  the  old  days,  when  the  Chinese  Theater  on  Jack- 
son  Street  had  been  in  the  height  of  its  glory,  he 
had  been  employed  in  the  double  capacity  of  prop¬ 
erty  man  and  make-up  artist.  Now  he  made  a 
fair  living  by  painting  Chinese  lanterns,  baskets, 
screens,  etc.  Incidentally  he  was  ready  at  any  time 
to  turn  his  hand  to  most  anything  that  would  bring 
in  a  few  shekels. 

When  Louie  arrived  Fong  was  seated  at  his 
work-table  conversing  with  a  stranger  who  stood 
before  him. 

Louie  took  a  seat  on  a  box  in  the  corner  of  the 
room,  and  smoked  in  silence  until  the  stranger  left. 


98 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


“  Well,  everything’s  fixed  for  tomorrow,”  he 
said  when  they  were  alone. 

“  Everything  fixed  for  what?  ” 

“  The  little  job  I  spoke  about.” 

Fong  took  up  his  brush  and  proceeded  with  his 
task— that  of  decorating  an  empty  ng-ka-pay  jar, 
thereby  converting  it  into  a  really  artistic  vase. 

There  was  a  brief  silence. 

“  How  much  do  I  get  ?  ”  asked  Fong  at  length. 

“  One  hundred  dollars.” 

“Not  enough.” 

“You  agreed  to  do  it  for  one  hundred.” 

“  I  know ;  but  I  have  been  thinking  it  over. 
There  is  too  much  danger.  Everyone  in  Chinatown 
knows  that  there  is  but  one  man  who  can  do  what 
you  want  done;  and  that  one  man  is  Fong  Gim. 
And  besides,  it  is  worth  more  than  one  hundred 
to  you.” 

Louie  studied  the  floor. 

“  How  much  do  you  want  ?  ” 

Fong  turned  toward  him,  and,  emphasizing  each 
word  with  a  shake  of  his  brush,  said,  “  Five  hun¬ 
dred  dollars ;  not  a  cent  less.” 

Louie  winced.  Fong’s  services  were  indispen¬ 
sable  to  him;  but  five  hundred  dollars  was  a  big 
price  to  pay.  The  total  blood  money  was  only  two 
thousand.  Ching  Toy  was  to  get  five  hundred; 
and  there  were  other  expenses  that  would  amount 
to  several  hundred  more. 

For  half  an  hour  they  talked  price;  and  finally 


FLIGHT  TO  HOUSE  ON  THE  HILL  99 


agreed  upon  a  compromise.  Fong  was  to  receive 
one  hundred  dollars  in  advance,  and  one  hundred 
and  fifty  more  if  the  job  was  a  success. 

Louie  produced  five  twenty-dollar  bills  and  laid 
them  on  the  table  before  Fong. 

He  was  not  a  piker.  He  was  willing  to  pay  for 
what  he  got ;  but  he  considered  one  hundred  dollars 
ample  pay  for  what  he  was  asking  Fong  Gim  to  do. 
He  was  willing  to  pay  this  sum  in  advance,  how¬ 
ever,  because  in  spite  of  the  agreement  they  had 
just  entered  into,  he  knew,  that  for  certain  reasons, 
Fong  would  have  to  wait  a  long  time  for  the  bal¬ 
ance.  Perhaps  he  would  never  get  it. 

“  Nine-thirty  in  the  morning  at  10  Duncomb 
Alley,”  he  said ;  and  left  the  room. 

On  his  way  beck  he  stopped  at  the  Kwong  Chow 
Low  Restaurant  on  Washington  Street  and  or¬ 
dered  a  meal  for  three  sent  in  to  No.  10  Duncomb 
Alley.  He  had  no  intention  of  treating  his  captive 
in  any  but  a  kindly  way,  unless  he  should  become 
obstreperous. 

During  the  night  they  took  turn  about  in  guard¬ 
ing  the  old  man;  though  there  was  little  need  for 
such  precaution,  for  after  eating  a  hearty  meal, 
Lum  Bing  rolled  into  his  bunk,  smoked  a  little 
opium,  and  then  slept  soundly  till  morning. 

Fong  Gim  arrived  as  appointed,  carrying  with 
him  a  dilapidated  tin  box.  Ching  Toy  opened  the 
door  to  him,  and  led  him  into  the  back  room.  Lum 
Bing  was  sitting  on  the  edge  of  his  bunk  smoking 


100 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


a  pipe.  Louie  was  perched  on  the  edge  of  a  rickety 
table  blowing  cigarette  smoke  out  of  his  nose. 
With  a  grunt  of  greeting,  Fong  set  his  box  on  the 
table,  dropped  into  a  chair,  lit  a  cigarette,  and  sat 
studying  the  old  man  in  silence. 

“Got  the  voice  yet,  Louie?”  he  asked  finally. 

“  Not  yet,”  was  the  laughing  reply. 

Fong  proceeded  to  engage  in  a  friendly  conver¬ 
sation  with  Lum  Bing,  who  opened  up  and  became 
quite  talkative.  At  length  Fong  turned  to  Louie 
and  asked  him  several  of  the  questions  he  had 
asked  Lum.  Louie  replied  in  a  voice  strikingly  like 
that  of  the  old  man. 

“  Pretty  good,”  said  Fong,  “  but  not  good 
enough.” 

The  old  man  gasped  in  surprise;  and  then  his 
face  clouded. 

Fong  attempted  further  conversation  with  him, 
but  he  became  sullen  and  refused  to  respond. 

“Talk!”  snarled  Louie,  advancing  toward  him 
in  a  menacing  attitude. 

“  Yes,  yes,  I’ll  talk,”  squeaked  the  old  man  in 
alarm.  “  What  do  you  want  me  to  talk  about  ?  ” 
But  he  no  longer  spoke  in  natural  tones. 

“  Get  up  and  walk  around  the  room.” 

Sullenly  the  old  man  obeyed.  It  was  no  use  for 
him  to  try  to  dissemble  his  walk.  He  was  too  old 
and  bent ;  and  had  walked  that  way  too  long. 

Louie,  who  had  studied  his  walk  for  months, 
followed  behind  him  in  a  splendid  imitation. 


FLIGHT  TO  HOUSE  ON  THE  HILL  101 


Around  and  around  the  dingy  little  room  they 
went  while  Fong  studied  them  carefully,  occasion¬ 
ally  making  suggestions  to  Louie. 

And  so  the  game  went  on. 

A  little  before  noon,  he  announced  that  he  was 
satisfied  with  Louie’s  voice  and  walk;  and  Ching 
Toy,  who  had  stood  guard  at  the  door,  went  out  to 
order  lunch  sent  in.  After  lunch  the  serious  busi¬ 
ness  of  the  day  was  commenced.  Louie  Sam  and 
Lum  Bing  were  seated  side  by  side.  Before  them, 
on  an  upturned  box,  sat  Fong  Gim,  his  tin  box 
open  on  the  table  at  his  side.  He  studied  the  pair 
with  thoughtful  scrutiny.  Then  with  a  pair  of 
shears  reduced  Louie  Sam’s  abundant  crop  of  hair 
to  proportions  more  nearly  equalling  that  of 
Lum  Bing. 

In  his  box  were  numerous  little  glass  vials  of 
colouring  matter.  Fong  selected  one;  and  emptied 
part  of  its  contents  into  a  shallow  bowl,  adding  to 
it  a  quantity  of  clear  liquid  which  he  poured  from 
another  small  bottle.  In  silence  he  stirred  the 
potion;  then,  rising  from  his  seat,  proceeded  to 
apply  it  to  Louie’s  hair.  At  the  end  of  some  thirty 
minutes  the  jet  black  had  become  an  iron  gray. 

Picking  up  from  the  bed  the  old  man’s  faded 
tweed  cap  he  placed  it  upon  Louie’s  head,  and 
stepped  back  to  view  the  effect.  A  grunt  of  ap¬ 
proval  registered  his  satisfaction. 

“  T’iu  naa  maa!  ”  gurgled  Ching  Toy,  who  was 
on  guard  at  the  door. 


102 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


Louie  laughed;  and  the  old  man  scowled,  as 
Fong  held  out  a  small  mirror  before  them.  Again 
Fong  studied  the  pair  in  silence.  Now  from  his 
box  he  drew  a  small  ball  of  flesh-coloured  material 
which,  as  he  manipulated  it  with  his  fingers,  be¬ 
came  more  and  more  plastic.  Deftly,  and  with  the 
skill  of  an  artist,  he  built  up  the  bridge  of  Louie’s 
nose  to  correspond  with  the  more  prominent  ap¬ 
pendage  of  Lum  Bing.  Ching  Toy  gave  a  signal 
of  alarm  as,  through  a  chink  in  the  shutters  of  the 
store  front,  he  observed  two  of  the  Chinatown 
squad  patrolling  the  alley;  but  the  officers  passed 
unsuspectingly  on  their  way.  And  now  came  the 
most  difficult  part  of  all.  Lum  Bing  was  the 
possessor  of  an  unkempt  grey  beard.  It  would  be 
impossible  to  find  or  make  a  wig  that  would  deceive 
any  but  the  most  casual  observer.  A  beard  would 
have  to  be  built  onto  Louie’s  face;  and  that  would 
be  no  easy  task. 

Fong  lit  another  cigarette  and  puffed  a  while  in 
silence.  Lum  uttered  several  remarks  expressing 
his  disapproval  of  the  whole  proceeding;  and 
Louie,  jabbing  him  in  the  ribs,  told  him  to  shut  up. 
At  length  the  artist  produced  from  his  box  a  bundle 
of  grey  human  hairs,  held  them  close  to  Lum’s 
face,  and,  with  an  expression  of  satisfaction  spread 
them,  together  with  a  tube  of  especially  prepared 
adhesive  substance,  on  the  table  before  him. 

Then  for  an  hour  and  a  half  he  worked  pains¬ 
takingly  at  his  task;  at  the  same  time  carrying  on 


FLIGHT  TO  HOUSE  ON  THE  HILL  103 


a  desultory  conversation  with  Louie.  Each  hair 
had  to  be  selected  separately,  its  end  dipped  in  the 
adhesive  paste  and  separately  planted  on  Louie’s 
face,  which  had  already  been  prepared  by  a  smear¬ 
ing  of  the  paste. 

It  was  an  exacting  piece  of  work,  requiring  the 
skill  of  a  trained  make-up  artist;  but  Fong  was 
equal  to  it. 

By  a  little  before  four  o’clock  the  last  hair  was 
in  place.  A  few  deft  strokes  with  the  shears 
accomplished  the  necessary  trimming,  and  Louie 
Sam  was  the  proud  possessor  of  a  beard  so  much 
the  counterpart  of  the  one  which  adorned  the  face 
of  Lum  Bing  that  only  the  most  careful  and  closest 
scrutiny  could  have  detected  the  fake. 

Tossing  an  old  suit  of  clothes  to  his  victim,  Louie 
commanded  him  to  surrender  the  one  he  wore. 

This  done,  the  young  highbinder  donned  the  dis¬ 
carded  suit  and  cap,  took  up  the  old  man’s  stick  and 
proceeded  to  amble  around  the  room — the  living 
image  of  Lum  Bing,  the  hop-head. 

Five  o’clock.  Lum  Bing  sat  on  the  edge  of  his 
bunk  watching  his  double,  who  was  preparing  to 
leave.  He  was  thinking  hard ;  and  trying  to  come 
to  a  decision. 

The  younger  man’s  disguise  was  perfect;  there 
was  no  denying  that.  Even  Lum  Ming  would 
never  suspect  the  fraud  until  it  was  too  late.  But 
Lum  Bing  knew  that  without  certain  information, 


104 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


which  he  had  not  yet  given,  Louie  would  not  be 
able  to  gain  entrance  to  the  house. 

Since  Lum  Ming’s  life  had  been  in  danger  the 
utmost  precautions  had  been  taken  for  his  safety. 
The  door  was  never  opened  to  any  save  those  who 
gave  the  countersign. 

He  had  not  given  Louie  this  countersign.  With¬ 
out  it  Louie’s  mission  was  doomed  to  failure. 
With  it  and  such  a  faultless  disguise,  success  was 
practically  certain.  Success  to  Louie  meant  death 
to  Lum  Ming. 

Failure  on  the  part  of  Louie  would  mean  death 
to  Lum  Bing;  for  Louie  had  said  that  Ching  Toy 
would  stand  guard  until  Fong  Gim  brought  word 
of  success  or  failure.  If  failure  should  come,  due 
to  Lum  Bing’s  treachery,  Ching  Toy  was  to  slay 
him  instantly. 

All  this  the  old  man  was  turning  over  in  his  mind. 

He  was  Lum  Ming’s  kinsman,  to  be  sure;  but 
Lum  Ming  had  never  treated  him  as  such.  He  had 
always  imposed  upon  him,  tyrannized  over  him,  and 
used  him  as  a  catspaw  in  his  schemes  for  enriching 
himself.  Why  should  he  now  protect  this  tyrant, 
when  to  do  so  meant  the  certain  forfeiture  of 
his  life? 

Louie  Sam  was  undergoing  a  final  inspection  at 
the  hands  of  Fong  Gim  when  a  new  idea  seemed 
to  strike  him. 

Crossing  the  room  he  looked  into  the  face  of 
the  old  man. 


FLIGHT  TO  HOUSE  ON  THE  HILL  105 


“  Remember,  Lum  Bing,”  he  said,  “  if  I  fail  you 
die.  Are  you  sure  you  have  told  me  the  truth?  ” 

The  old  man  swallowed  a  lump  which  had  been 
rising  in  his  throat. 

“  All  true  but  one  thing,”  was  the  response. 

“  T’iu  naa  maa,  kai  tai.  What  one  thing?” 
snarled  Louie,  striking  the  old  man  on  the  head 
with  his  own  stick. 

“  When  you  ring  the  bell  he  will  call,  ‘  who  is 
it?  ’  Then  you  must  give  the  sign.” 

“  What  is  the  sign  ?  ” 

Lum  Bing  tapped  the  side  of  his  bunk  softly  with 
the  tips  of  his  fingers.  One-two-three-four-five. 
Pause.  One-two-three-four-five. 

With  a  fierce  oath  Louie  gave  the  old  man  an¬ 
other  blow  with  the  stick  and  demanded,  “  Are 
you  speaking  the  truth  now,  Lum  Bing?” 

“  If  I  am  not,  may  the  idols  destroy  me!  ” 

“  Not  the  idols,  but  Ching  Toy,”  remarked  the 
young  highbinder  with  a  smirk  as  he  turned  from 
the  old  man. 

At  the  junction  of  Grant  and  Washington 
Streets,  Sergeant  Dawson  and  Officer  Boyd  stood 
in  conversation  with  another  member  of  the  squad. 

Louie  chilled  as  he  faced  his  first  real  test. 

Suppose,  too,  that  after  all  these  months  they 
should  take  a  notion  to  search  the  old  man.  His 
Colt  automatic  was  securely  tucked  away;  but  it 
would  hardly  escape  the  nimble  fingers  of  Officer 
Boyd  if  they  should  pass  over  it. 


106 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


“  Hello,  Lum !  ”  called  Dawson. 

“  Hello,  Sargee!  ” 

“  How’reyou  tonight,  Lum?  ” 

“  Plitty  good,  thanks.  How’s  self,  Sargee?  ” 

It  was  done  to  a  nicety,  without  raising  the 
slightest  suspicion.  Louie  had  heard  such  greet¬ 
ings  pass  between  these  two  on  several  occasions, 
and  his  memory  served  him  as  well  as  his  power 
of  mimicry. 

He  shambled  on  his  way  without  indulging  in 
further  conversation. 

“  The  old  man  seems  sort  o’  nervous  tonight,” 
remarked  the  Sergeant. 

“  Probably  run  out  of  ‘  hop,’  ”  replied  Boyd. 

Lum  Ming  closed  and  bolted  the  door  after  let¬ 
ting  in  his  caller. 

As  he  did  so  the  form  beside  him  suddenly 
straightened  up.  Something  flashed.  There  was 
a  report,  followed  by  another  and  another.  Lum 
Ming,  shot  through  the  heart,  fell  in  a  crumpled 
heap  upon  the  floor. 

“Where  is  the  girl?”  demanded  Louie  of  the 
old  woman  he  found  crouching  behind  the  bed¬ 
room  door. 

“  She  is  not  here.” 

“  Show  me  where  she  is  or  I  will  kill  you  as  I 
have  killed  Lum  Ming.” 

The  warm,  smoking  muzzle  of  Louie’s  gun, 
thrust  into  her  face,  had  the  desired  effect. 


FLIGHT  TO  HOUSE  ON  THE  HILL  107 


The  old  woman  unlocked  the  door  of  another 
bed-room,  and  there  on  the  edge  of  the  bed  sat  the 
terrified  Ah  Mae. 

“  I  am  Kim,”  said  a  voice  which  she  at  once 
recognized,  “  Come  with  me  quickly.” 

The  child  prepared  to  follow  him;  but  the  old 
woman  remained  to  be  disposed  of. 

Now  Louie  Sam  was  a  highbinder;  notoriously 
cruel  and  heartless.  Only  in  his  dealings  with  his 
sister  was  he  tender.  He  turned  upon  the  old 
woman,  and  with  his  pistol  struck  her  a  terrific 
blow  on  her  temple. 

She  fell,  unconscious,  at  his  feet. 

In  the  street  a  black  and  white  taxi  waited.  The 
curtains  were  drawn.  Fong  Gim  sat  serenely  in 
the  tonneau.  As  Louie  appeared  with  Ah  Mae  a 
look  of  surprise  came  to  his  face.  He  had  not 
known  that  there  was  a  girl  in  the  case.  Ac¬ 
cording  to  pre-arrangement  he  slipped  out  of 
the  car  as  they  entered,  handed  the  driver  a 
ten-dollar  bill,  and  disappeared  into  the  gathering 
darkness. 

It  had  been  a  bold  and  daring  piece  of  work. 
A  little  after  five-thirty,  on  a  December  evening, 
a  brutal  murder  had  been  committed  behind  closed 
doors  on  the  second  story  of  a  house  on  a  much- 
frequented  thoroughfare  in  Chinatown. 

Louie  had  staked  his  all  upon  the  chance  of  there 
being  no  police  on  the  block  at  that  time.  He  had 
waited  until  he  had  seen  that  the  coast  was  clear 


108 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


before  entering  Lum  Ming’s  place ;  and  had  figured 
on  getting  through  before  any  of  the  squad 
turned  up. 

It  had  been  a  gamble,  and  he  had  won. 

The  taxi  drew  up  at  The  House  on  the  Hill. 

A  Chinese  man,  followed  by  a  frightened  young 
girl,  hastily  alighted  and  ran  up  the  steps  to  the 
front  porch. 

The  man  rang  the  bell,  pounded  upon  the  door, 
and,  leaving  the  girl  standing  there  darted  back  into 
the  machine  and  was  whisked  away. 

A  frightened,  trembling  form  stepped  over  the 
threshold  of  the  door  of  the  Home,  and  collapsed 
at  the  feet  of  the  young  Chinese  woman  who  had 
responded  to  the  agitated  summons.  Gentle  hands 
helped  her  to  her  feet,  and  led  her  to  the  sitting 
room,  where  she  was  made  comfortable  upon  a 
couch  before  a  grate-fire.  Miss  McCormack  and 
her  interpreter  were  sent  for;  but  no  questions  were 
asked  until  the  child  was  recovered  from  her  fright 
and  excitement  sufficiently  to  talk  of  her  own 
free  will. 

Piece  by  piece  they  heard  her  story  from  her 
own  lips;  and  she  had  not  proceeded  far  before 
an  exclamation  of  delight  came  from  Miss  Mc¬ 
Cormack  and  Miss  Foo  as  they  discovered  that 
she  was  the  one  for  whom  they  had  searched 
in  vain.  As  she  told  her  story,  she  looked 
about  her  in  wonder  at  the  comfortable  and 


FLIGHT  TO  HOUSE  ON  THE  HILL  109 


attractive  home  into  which  she  had  come.  In 
her  eyes  were  trust  and  appeal  as  they  roved 
over  the  faces  of  the  little  group  gathered  about 
her. 

“  And,  now,”  said  Catherine  McCormack  at 
length,  “  I  think,  my  child,  you  would  better  get 
to  bed  and  have  a  good  night’s  rest.  Then  in  the 
morning  you  can  go  with  me  and  tell  your  story  to 
the  judge.  If  you  will  tell  him  just  what  you  have 
told  us,  he  will  put  you  in  my  care  and  you  can  live 
here  in  this  home  with  all  these  happy,  care-free 
girls.  You  can  get  an  education  right  in  here  and 
learn  to  be  a  useful  woman;  and,  best  of  all,  you 
need  never  more  be  bothered  by  the  terrible  people 
who  have  so  mistreated  you.” 

“  Shall  I  be  able  to  see  Kim?  ” 

“  He  may  come  here  to  see  you  as  often  as  he 
wishes  to.” 

“  I  wonder  where  he  went,”  she  said  as  Kum 
Nue,  who  had  come  to  take  her  to  bed,  placed 
her  arm  about  her  and  led  her  from  the  room. 
“  Maybe  the  highbinders  will  get  him ;  maybe  the 
police.  What  do  you  think,  Teacher?  ” 

Miss  McCormack  turned  away  to  hide  her  tears. 
She  knew  what  usually  happened  in  such  cases. 

“  I  hope  he  will  return,”  she  said. 


VII 


LOUIE  SAM  PAYS  THE  PRICE 

OUIE  snapped  out  instructions  to  the  taxi 
j  driver,  as  he  plunged  back  into  the  cab  : 
“715  Howard  Street.  Drive  like  light¬ 
ning,”  he  said. 

He  took  from  one  of  his  pockets  a  handker¬ 
chief  which  was  saturated  with  a  strange¬ 
smelling  liquid,  and  proceeded  to  remove  his 
false  beard. 

From  another  pocket  he  produced  a  new  cap. 
Lum’s  old  one  he  tossed  out  of  the  window  of  the 
cab.  His  grey  hair  he  could  not  change  so  quickly. 
His  prominent  nose  he  decided  to  leave  alone. 
These  two  features  might  yet  serve  him  in  good 
stead. 

In  the  usual  course  of  events  a  Tong  murderer 
would  not  seek  refuge  outside  a  Chinese  Com¬ 
munity.  Even  in  such  a  rendezvous  of  the 
underworld  as  Howard  Street,  San  Francisco, 
the  very  appearance  of  a  strange  Chinese  would 
awaken  suspicion  on  the  part  of  the  ever- 
watchful  “  dicks.”  But  Louie  Sam  was  in  dire 
circumstances.  More  than  he  feared  the  police. 


110 


LOUIE  SAM  PAYS  THE  PRICE 


111 


he  feared  his  own  Tong,  whose  sacred  vows  he 
had  violated.  On  Howard  Street  he  had  a  fair 
chance  to  slip  by  the  “bulls”;  but  in  Chinatown 
he  could  not  hope,  even  for  a  few  hours,  to 
escape  the  avenging  and  relentless  fury  of  the 
outraged  Tong. 

At  715  Howard  Street,  a  cheap  lodging  house  a 
good  mile  from  Chinatown,  he  alighted,  paid  the 
driver  generously,  went  in  and  engaged  a  room 
for  one  night,  paid  for  it,  and  went  out  into  the 
street. 

From  a  second-hand  dealer  he  purchased,  for 
$10.00,  a  threadbare  suit  of  clothes,  and  returned 
to  his  room  in  the  lodging  house. 

As  the  Southern  Pacific  Train  No.  86  came 
to  a  stop  at  Fresno  at  six  forty-five  the  fol¬ 
lowing  morning  Louie  alighted  and  headed  im¬ 
mediately  for  Chinatown.  On  Tulare  Street 
he  found  but  few  people  astir  and  as  he  turned 
into  China  Alley  not  a  soul  was  in  sight.  He 
was  making  for  the  gambling  house  of  his 
uncle,  Wong  Toy.  Once  within  its  walls  he 
would  be  reasonably  safe.  Within  a  few  yards 
of  his  goal  he  was  passing  a  narrow  passage 
way  between  two  buildings,  when  a  figure  stepped 
out  quickly  and  fired  twice  point  blank  at  his 
heart. 

Louie  sank  to  the  ground,  and  as  he  did  so,  two 
more  shots  crashed  into  his  skull. 


112 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


Thus  operates  the  machinery  of  the  Chinese 
fighting  Tongs. 

The  assassin  tossed  away  his  gun,  and  ran  in  the 
direction  of  Kern  Street;  but  to  his  astonishment 
found  himself  suddenly  confronted  by  two  of¬ 
ficers  of  the  law,  and  facing  the  muzzles  of  two 
dangerous-looking  six-shooters. 

To  snap  on  the  cuffs  was  the  work  of  but  a  few 
seconds,  but  by  the  time  the  officers  got  to  Louie 
life  was  entirely  extinct. 

When  Jue  Yat,  as  Secretary  of  the  Sing 
Dong  Tong,  had  consented  to  the  appointment 
of  Louie  Sam  to  carry  out  the  assassination  of 
Lum  Ming,  he  had  done  so,  it  will  be  recalled, 
with  much  misgiving.  He  feared  treachery,  and 
therefore,  later,  had  secretly  appointed  another 
highbinder  to  keep  track  of  Louie’s  movements. 

This  spy  had  kept  a  close  watch  upon  Louie, 
had  followed  him  to  the  house  of  Lum  Ming,  had 
witnessed  the  flight  with  Ah  Mae,  guessing  his  in¬ 
tentions,  had  boarded  a  west  bound  Sacramento 
St.  car,  and  had  passed  the  house  just  as  the 
taxi,  which  had  taken  a  circuitous  route,  was 
drawing  up  at  the  curb.  He  saw  Louie  re-enter 
the  cab  and  speed  away;  and,  being  unable  to 
follow  him  further,  had  reported  immediately  to 
Jue  Yat. 

On  fire  with  fury,  Jue  went  at  once  to  the  Ex¬ 
alted  Master,  who  called  a  hurried  meeting  of  the 
Sing  Dongs. 


LOUIE  SAM  PAYS  THE  PRICE 


113 


Because  of  the  need  of  immediate  action,  all 
ceremony  was  dispensed  with.  By  the  report  of 
the  spy,  and  the  fiery  indignation  of  Jue  Yat.  those 
present  were  worked  into  a  high  state  of  excite¬ 
ment.  If  the  dignity  and  the  prestige  of  the  Tong 
was  to  be  upheld  such  treachery  must  be  punished 
by  the  extreme  penalty.  Louie  Sam  was  summarily 
expelled,  and  the  price  of  $1,000  put  on  his  head, 
which  meant  that  anybody,  whether  a  member  of 
that  Tong  or  any  other,  who  furnished  satisfactory 
evidence  of  having  killed  him,  would  receive  the 
reward. 

The  young  binders  left  the  meeting  with  mixed 
emotions.  On  the  one  hand  was  their  loyalty  to  the 
Tong  and  their  fear  of  it,  together  with  the  reward 
of  $1,000.  On  the  other  was  their  friendship  for 
the  popular  young  gunman. 

As  for  Jue  Yat,  his  rage  knew  no  bounds.  His 
determination  to  get  Louie,  and  get  him  quick, 
became  a  consuming  passion.  Suspecting  that  he 
might  seek  refuge  with  his  uncle  in  Fresno,  he  sent 
his  spy  to  the  Oakland  Mole;  and  just  before  mid¬ 
night  received  word  over  the  ’phone  that  Louie  had 
boarded  No.  86  out  of  Oakland. 

Like  many  another  well-to-do  Chinese,  Jue  be¬ 
longed  to  more  than  one  Tong.  Knowing  that 
Louie’s  uncle  was  a  prominent  and  powerful 
member  of  the  Sing  Dongs  in  Fresno,  he  de¬ 
cided  that  it  would  be  useless  to  send  word  to 
them.  He,  therefore,  got  into  long  distance 


114 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


communication  with  the  Fresno  branch  of  the 
other  Tong  of  which  he  was  a  member,  the  Suey 
Yings. 

Now  Ong  Duck,  President  of  the  Fresno 
Sueys,  was  an  enemy  of  Louie’s  uncle,  Wong 
Toy.  The  animosity  between  them  was  of  long 
standing,  and  had  its  beginning  at  the  time  that 
Ong  Duck  had  been  arrested  for  selling  opium. 
Ong  had  always  believed  that  it  was  W ong 
Toy  who  had  tipped  off  the  authorities;  and  he 
now  welcomed  an  opportunity  to  get  even  with 
him. 

Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  half  an  hour  before 
No.  86  was  due  to  arrive  in  Fresno,  Tee  Choy  and 
Mar  Chet,  two  young  highbinders,  both  of  whom 
knew  Louie,  sat  before  a  little  stove  at  the  head¬ 
quarters  of  the  Suey  Ying  Tong. 

Lee  looked  at  his  watch,  arose,  stretched  himself, 
lit  a  cigarette,  and  left  the  room. 

From  a  vantage  point,  where  he  could  see  and 
not  be  seen,  he  watched  the  passengers  alight  from 
No.  86.  But  for  the  description  furnished  by  the 
spy  and  communicated  by  Jue,  he  might  have  hesi¬ 
tated;  but  as  it  was  he  recognized  Louie  immedi¬ 
ately.  He  quickly  entered  the  waiting  room,  made 
for  a  telephone  booth,  and  by  the  time  Louie  was 
crossing  the  railroad  tracks  to  Chinatown  the  tele¬ 
phone  at  the  Suey  Ying  headquarters  was  inform¬ 
ing  Mar  Chet  of  the  fact. 

It  required  but  little  more  than  a  minute  for  Mar 


LOUIE  SAM  PAYS  THE  PRICE 


115 


Chet  to  travel  from  the  Suey  Ying  headquarters  to 
his  chosen  hiding  place  in  China  Alley.  From  this 
point  he  could  see  Louie  from  the  time  he  entered 
the  Alley,  but  could  not  be  seen  by  him. 

He  was  so  intent  on  watching  his  victim,  how¬ 
ever,  that  he  did  not  notice  two  officers  enter  the 
Alley  from  the  other  end;  and  so  it  was  that  within 
little  more  than  half  an  hour  from  the  time  he  left 
the  warm  room  at  the  Tong  Headquarters  he  was 
cooling  his  heels  in  a  cell  at  the  Fresno  city  prison, 
after  having  been  booked  for  a  murder  to  which 
two  police  officers  had  been  eye  witnesses. 

Simply  and  unfalteringly  Ah  Mae  told  her  story 
to  the  judge  of  the  Juvenile  Court,  who  lost  no 
time  in  committing  her  to  the  care  and  protection 
of  Catherine  McCormack;  and,  with  the  exception 
of  her  anxiety  over  Ah  Kim,  it  was  with  a  happy 
and  light  heart  that  she  returned  to  the  “  House 
on  the  Hill.” 

The  papers  that  morning  had  carried  a  sensa¬ 
tional  and  garbled  account  of  the  killing,  the  night 
before,  of  Lum  Ming,  a  wealthy  Chinese  merchant. 
So  far,  the  police  were  in  the  dark  as  to  the  perpe¬ 
trator  of  the  crime;  but  it  was  stated  that  there  was 
every  indication  that  the  killing  came  as  the  cul¬ 
mination  of  a  quarrel  between  two  powerful  Tongs 
over  the  possession  of  a  slave  girl.  It  was,  there¬ 
fore,  feared  that,  as  a  result,  there  might  arise  a; 


116 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


serious  Tong  War.  Accordingly  news  of  the 
murder  had  been  telegraphed  to  the  police  in  every 
city  in  the  United  States  having  a  Chinese  popula¬ 
tion  of  any  size ;  and  the  authorities  everywhere,  it 
was  alleged,  were  prepared  to  deal  summarily  with 
any  outbreak  that  might  occur. 

The  noon  editions  carried  an  account  of  the 
killing  at  Fresno;  and  stated  that  there  was  thought 
to  be  a  connection  between  the  two  murders. 

Neither  the  police  nor  the  press,  however,  real¬ 
ized,  as  yet,  how  direct  was  the  connection. 

But  there  were  those  who  did. 

Hattie  Ferris  held  a  copy  of  the  “  Bulletin  ”  be¬ 
fore  Miss  McCormack,  and  pointed  to  a  paragraph 
which  contained  an  account  of  the  Fresno  slaying. 
The  despatch  stated  that  the  body  of  the  murdered 
man  had  been  identified  by  Wong  Toy,  a  merchant 
on  Tulare  Street,  as  that  of  his  nephew,  Louie 
Sam.  Wong  Toy,  it  was  further  reported,  had 
thought  his  nephew  to  be  in  San  Francisco,  and  had 
not  known  of  his  arrival  in  Fresno  until,  acting 
upon  the  suggestion  of  a  friend,  he  had  gone  to 
look  at  the  body.  He  had  then  identified  it  almost 
immediately  in  spite  of  the  partial  disguise. 

In  the  eyes  of  the  police  and  the  press  it  was  just 
another  Tong  killing;  but  there  were  those  who 
knew  it  to  be  something  more. 

“  There  is  some  good  even  in  the  worst  of  us, 
isn’t  there?  ”  said  Miss  Ferris  as  they  finished  read¬ 
ing  the  account. 


LOUIE  SAM  PAYS  THE  PRICE 


117 


Catherine  McCormack  turned  upon  her  friend 
eyes  which  floated  in  tears.  “  Greater  love  hath 
no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for 
another,”  she  quoted,  with  pardonable  license. 


VIII 


while  the  fury  rages 


A  FIERCE  Tong  War,  one  of  the  worst  ex¬ 
perienced  in  many  years,  and  one  which 
many  think  will  yet  prove  to  be  the  most 
bloody  and  disastrous  in  the  history  of  High- 
binderism  in  America,  is  now  in  progress  through¬ 
out  the  Pacific  States.  From  Seattle  to  Mexicali, 
from  San  Francisco  to  Ogden,  highbinders  of  the 
powerful  rivals,  Sing  Dongs  and  Suey  Duns,  are 
on  the  war  path,  each  seeking  to  outdo  the  other  in 
the  number  of  lives  taken. 

“  Already  the  toll  in  lives  has  been  heavy. 
Seattle,  Los  Angeles  and  Sacramento  all  report 
killings.  As  many  as  a  dozen  Chinamen,  among 
them  prominent  Tong  officials,  are  said  to  have 
been  slain;  and  it  is  thought  that  a  much  larger 
number  will  be  shot  down  before  the  bloodlust  of 
these  highbinder  organizations  is  satisfied. 

“  The  larger  Chinese  settlements  of  San  Fran¬ 
cisco,  Los  Angeles  and  Seattle  are  in  the  throes  of 
terror.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  many  prominent 
merchants  have  been  forced  into  hiding,  business 
is  practically  at  a  standstill ;  while  the  streets,  which 
in  times  of  peace  teem  with  gay  and  busy  celestials, 
are  almost  deserted. 


118 


WHILE  THE  FURY  RAGES 


119 


“  As  in  all  other  Tong  Wars,  it  is  difficult  to  get 
at  the  real  root  of  the  trouble.  Various  conflicting 
rumours  prevail  and  persist.  The  San  Francisco 
police  declare  that  the  trouble  started  over  the 
killing  of  Lum  Ming,  a  wealthy  Chinese  merchant, 
who  was  found  dead  in  his  room  on  Sacramento 
Street  on  Friday  night,  and  that  the  murder  was 
the  result  of  a  quarrel  over  a  slave  girl.  Moreover, 
the  Department  claims  to  have  positive  proof  that 
the  young  man  who  was  killed  in  Fresno  early 
Saturday  morning  was  none  other  than  the  slayer 
of  Lum  Ming.  There  are  others,  however,  who 
scout  this  idea  as  being  highly  improbable. 

“  In  the  meantime  Chinatown  squads  have  been 
doubled  in  all  coast  cities,  and  the  police  authorities 
declare  that  they  are  well  able  to  cope  with  the 
situation,  and  expect  to  be  able  to  restore  order 
within  a  short  time.” 

So  ran  the  accounts  in  the  newspapers.  For  a 
few  days  the  matter  was  given  front  page  space. 
Then  it  was  relegated  to  an  obscure  corner;  and 
finally  it  was  forgotten. 

But  the  war  continued.  For  nearly  nine  months 
it  kept  the  police  ever  on  the  alert,  and  cost  the 
country  many  thousands  of  dollars.  Like  so  many 
savages,  members  of  these  two  rival  Tongs  sought 
to  destroy  each  other.  Because  of  the  vigilant  eye 
and  strong  arm  of  the  law  they  seldom  dared  to 
fight  in  the  open;  but  like  wolves  and  jackals  they 
prowled  the  Chinese  quarters  night  and  day,  stalk- 


120 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


ing  their  prey  and  forever  seeking  to  even  up  the 
score  of  lives  exacted. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  week  the  Sing  Dongs  sent 
an  ultimatum  to  the  Suey  Duns  stating  that,  from 
that  time  on,  for  every  Sing  Dong  man  slain  the 
life  of  one  Suey  Dun  official  woud  be  required. 
The  Sueys  retaliated  by  saying  “  for  every  Suey, 
two  Sings.” 

In  Seattle  Lum  Hop,  head  of  the  Suey  Duns, 
was  shot  down  in  his  store,  and  after  that  the 
binders  of  the  rival  Tongs  took  their  fight  to  the 
streets.  In  an  open  battle  in  the  heart  of  China¬ 
town  three  were  slain  before  the  police,  answering 
the  riot  call,  were  able  to  restore  order. 

In  Los  Angeles  the  Suey  Duns  raided  a  gam¬ 
bling  house  conducted  by  a  prominent  Sing  Dong 
man,  and  killed  him  and  his  two  sons.  One  of  the 
five  attackers  was  caught  by  the  police;  but  there 
was  not  sufficient  evidence  to  convict  him. 

An  automobile  tore  up  the  main  street  of  the 
Chinese  quarter  in  Marysville.  Three  men  jumped 
out,  rushed  in  Sam  Lee’s  laundry,  killed  Jue 
Hung,  and  were  out  of  town  before  the  authorities 
knew  what  had  happened. 

On  the  Embarcadero  at  San  Francisco  two  men 
waited  in  the  doorway  of  a  vacant  saloon  for 
Wong  Bing,  who  returned  every  morning  at  five 
o’clock  from  his  night  job  at  the  Ferry  Building. 
Without  any  warning,  and  never  as  much  as 
catching  sight  of  his  assailants,  Wong  sank  in 


WHILE  THE  FURY  RAGES 


121 


a  heap  on  the  sidewalk,  his  body  riddled  with 
bullets. 

On  the  main  street  of  Locke,  California,  a 
sheriff’s  posse  battled  for  four  hours  with  six 
armed  highbinders,  who  shot  at  them  from  the 
barricaded  windows  of  a  gambling  house. 

In  Stockton  neighbours  found  Gee  Man  Toy  and 
his  wife  dead  in  their  beds,  and  their  thirteen-year- 
old  daughter  missing. 

And  so  the  war  went  on.  Scarcely  a  week 
passed  that  did  not  bring  some  new  tragedy,  in 
spite  of  all  the  authorities  could  do. 

In  the  midst  of  it  all,  other  events  of  importance 
were  taking  place. 

Ah  Mae  had  grieved  much  over  the  death  of  her 
beloved  Kim,  the  news  of  which  Miss  Foo  had 
tenderly  broken  to  her.  One  day  in  seeking  to  be 
of  comfort,  Miss  Foo  had  reminded  her  that  Kim 
had  actually  given  his  life  to  save  her;  and  that  she 
in  her  turn  should  now  bear  up  and  prepare  to  live 
her  life  for  others.  Ah  Mae  stopped  in  the  midst 
of  her  weeping,  took  her  handkerchief  from  her 
face,  and  with  bloodshot  eyes  looked  earnestly  at 
Miss  Foo. 

“  Maybe  I  can  save  other  girls  just  like  Lo-Mo 
does,”  she  said. 

“  Perhaps  you  can,  Ah  Mae,  later  on,  after  you 
have  gotten  an  education.” 

For  a  moment  the  child  sat  in  thoughtful  silence. 

“  No,  not  by  and  by!  ”  she  exclaimed,  at  length, 


122 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


“  I  must  begin  right  now.  I’ll  tell  you  about  Ah 
Kum  and  we  can  go  and  save  her.” 

“Ah  Kum!  Who  is  she?  ”  asked  Miss  Foo  in 
excitement,  thrilled  by  the  expression  of  anxiety 
and  determination  on  the  face  of  this  new  recruit 
who  would  embark  at  once  upon  the  task  of  rescu¬ 
ing  her  fellow-sufferers. 

Ah  Mae  then  told  Miss  Foo  about  the  little 
slave,  Ah  Kum,  who*  was  held  in  bondage  and 
exploited  by  Ah-peen  Amy. 

During  the  few  days  that  she  had  been  there  she 
had  learned  much  of  this  other  girl’s  story.  She 
knew  that  she  was  barely  twenty  years  of  age, 
that  she  was  unhappy  there,  that  Amy  and  Hop 
Ching  had  paid  a  large  sum  of  money  for  her 
and  were  working  her  unmercifully  in  order  to 
get  a  quick  return  on  their  money.  All  this  she 
told  to  Miss  Foo,  who  in  turn  related  it  to  Mis9 
McCormack. 

That  afternoon  a  warrant  was  obtained  and  in 
the  evening  as  plans  were  being  definitely  formu¬ 
lated  for  the  rescue  next  morning,  and  Miss  Foo 
was  questioning  Ah  Mae  concerning  the  location  of 
the  young  slave’s  sleeping  room,  Ah  Mae  suddenly 
jumped  up  from  the  chair  on  which  she  was  sitting 
and  exclaimed,  “  Let  me  go  with  you  and  I  will 
take  you  to  the  room  without  delay.” 

Catherine  McCormack  looked  at  her  interpreter 
a  moment  in  silence,  and  then  said  quietly,  “  Al¬ 
right,  Mae  dear,  you  shall  go.” 


WHILE  THE  FURY  RAGES 


123 


In  Chinatown  scarce  a  soul  was  astir  save  the 
men  on  the  squad,  who,  owing  to  the  situation 
which  prevailed,  were  more  numerous  and  watch¬ 
ful  than  ever.  Dawn  had  not  yet  broken.  The 
street  lamps  were  still  alight,  but  looked  pale  and 
sickly  in  the  dense,  dripping  fog  in  which  they 
were  enveloped.  George  Roberts  and  William 
Hanabeck,  two  stalwart  detectives,  strode  briskly 
along  Stockton  Street.  Catherine  McCormack  and 
Miss  Foo,  with  little  Ah  Mae  between  them,  hur¬ 
ried  along  in  the  wake. 

The  party  turned  down  Jackson  Street  and  made 
for  No.  764.  It  was  a  large  rambling  apartment 
house  occupying  several  floors  above  two>  store 
buildings.  The  door  from  the  street,  according 
to  custom,  stood  open.  The  officers,  springing 
in  cat-like  silence,  took  the  stairs  several  steps 
at  a  time,  flashing  their  electric  torches  as  they 
went. 

At  the  top  of  the  second  flight  of  stairs  they 
waited  for  the  rest  of  the  party. 

“  Now  which  way?  ”  asked  one  of  the  men. 

Ah  Mae  stepped  forward  and  led  them  fearlessly 
down  a  long,  dark  passage,  and  stopping  before  a 
certain  doorway,  said  “  Here !  ” 

One  of  the  detectives  pounded  the  door  with 
his  fist. 

“  Hoi  moon!  Um  chaa!  ”  (Open  the  door,  de¬ 
tectives  are  here)  he  shouted,  using  words  which 
the  men  on  the  force  learn  to  use. 


124 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


There  were  sounds  of  shuffling  around  inside, 
but  no  effort  was  made  to  open  the  door. 

“  Open  this  door,  and  do  it  quick,  or  I’ll  break 
it  down,”  shouted  the  officer,  giving  the  panel  a 
savage  kick  with  one  of  his  well-shod  feet. 

There  were  sounds  of  scurrying  down  the  hall¬ 
way  on  the  other  side  of  the  door,  but  no  attempt 
to  open  it. 

With  a  quiet  oath  Sergt.  Roberts  whipped  a 
small  crowbar  from  his  hip  pocket,  and  commenced 
to  force  the  lock;  while  Hanabeck  threw  the  full 
force  of  his  two  hundred  pounds  against  the  door. 

A  rip,  and  a  crash,  and  the  door  gave  way  before 
them.  Roberts  and  Hanabeck  rushed  along  the 
passage  way  and  into  a  back  room  just  in  time  to 
catch  Amy  in  the  act  of  forcing  Ah  Kum  behind 
a  secret  panel  in  the  wall. 

Amy’s  face  filled  with  rage  as  she  saw  that  her 
efforts  were  frustrated,  and  as  she  caught  sight  of 
Ah  Mae,  standing  behind  the  officers,  and  between 
Miss  McCormack  and  Miss  Foo,  her  fury  exploded 
in  a  perfect  torrent  of  vile  abuse,  uttered  in  her 
native  tongue. 

“  Shut  up!  ”  said  the  officer,  “  and  put  on  some 
clothes.  We  are  going  to  take  you  out  of  here.” 

By  this  time  Miss  Foo  and  Ah  Mae  were  at  Ah 
Kum’s  side,  telling  her  not  to  fear ;  that  all  she  had 
to  do  was  to  go  along  with  them  and  tell  the  truth, 
and  no  harm  would  come  to  her. 

Two  men  found  in  the  place  were  arrested  and 


WHILE  THE  FURY  RAGES 


125 


charged  with  visiting  a  house  of  ill- fame ;  and  Amy 
was  booked  for  conducting  the  house.  Ah  Kum 
was  taken  out  to  the  Juvenile  Court,  and  upon  her 
own  testimony  committed  to  the  care  of  Catherine 
McCormack. 


Ezra  Jacobson 
Attorney  &  Counselor 
Walk  In 


ft  A  m 


So  read  the  sign  on  the  door  of  an  office  in  a 
certain  business  building  of  San  Francisco. 

Ezra  Jacobson  was  well  known  to  be  an  am¬ 
bitious  and  unscrupulous  attorney  who  did  not 
hesitate  to  dip  his  fingers  into  mire  such  as  most 
self-respecting  solicitors  refused  to  touch.  That 
is,  he  did  not  hesitate  provided  he  was  pretty  cer¬ 
tain  that  there  was  a  good  chance  of  extracting  a 
few  glittering  pieces  of  gold  from  the  muck  pile. 
“  Special  attention  given  to  Chinese  cases,”  was  the 
interpretation  of  certain  hieroglyphics  on  his  office 
door.  Chinese  slave  girl  cases  were  his  specialty. 
One  human  slave  more  or  less  was  nothing  to 
Ezra,  who  never  lost  any  sleep,  but  rather  con¬ 
gratulated  himself,  when  as  the  result  of  his  skill 
in  legal  gymnastics  and  chicanery  some  unhappy 
slave  girl  was  returned  to  her  owner  and  to  a  life 
of  shame  and  suffering. 


126 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


For  this  reason  “  Little  Ezra,”  as  he  was  called 
down  at  the  Hall  of  Justice,  had  a  clientele  com¬ 
posed  largely  of  denizens  of  the  underworld;  and 
for  this  reason  it  was  that  he  found  Hop  Ching 
waiting  for  him  at  his  office  when  he  arrived  a  little 
after  nine  o’clock  one  morning. 

Hop  Ching,  it  will  be  recalled,  was  Amy’s  owner, 
and  part  owner  of  Ah  Kum.  A  curious  arrange¬ 
ment,  you  say ;  but  it  came  about  this  way. 

When,  under  circumstances  to  be  described  later, 
the  opportunity  had  come  to  Hop  Ching  to  pur¬ 
chase  Ah  Kum  for  the  sum  of  fifty-five  hundred 
dollars  he  had  not  sufficient  money  with  which  to 
make  the  transaction.  Amy,  however,  by  careful 
saving  of  the  small  part  of  her  earnings  which  she 
was  allowed  to  keep,  had  managed  to  accumulate 
close  to  two  thousand  dollars,  and  she  now  came 
forward  with  the  offer  to  turn  over  this  money 
upon  proper  security  from  Hop  Ching,  which 
security  took  the  form  of  a  part  ownership  in 
Ah  Kum. 

When  Amy  had  appeared  in  the  police  court  to 
answer  the  charge  of  conducting  a  disorderly  house 
she  had  been  given  a  six  months’  suspended  sen¬ 
tence.  Furthermore,  it  had  not  been  possible  to 
prosecute  Amy  as  a  slave  owner,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  Ah  Kum  was  not  willing  to  testify 
against  her. 

In  the  light  of  all  this  Hop  Ching  thought  it 
worth  while  to  institute  a  legal  fight  for  the  recov- 


WHILE  THE  FURY  RAGES 


127 


ery  of  Ah  Kum.  Hence  his  visit  to  “  Little 
Ezra.” 

“  Well,  Ching,”  said  the  attorney,  after  listening 
to  his  story,  “  if  the  Juvenile  Court  has  already 
awarded  her  to  the  rescue  home  we’re  in  dutch; 
unless  we  can  think  up  some  way  to  get  the  judge 
to  re-open  the  case.” 

Hop  Ching  sat  a  moment  in  thought. 

“  Maybe  you  can  fix  ’em  up  some  story,  Judge,” 
he  said,  leaning  across  the  attorney’s  desk  and 
grinning  significantly. 

“  Who  is  going  to  furnish  the  money  for  this 
case?  ” 

“  The  Hop  Sings.” 

“  Do  the  Hop  Sings  wish  to  engage  my  services 
in  this  case?”  asked  Jacobson,  looking  coldly  at 
the  slave  owner. 

“  Yessee,  Mr.  Ezra,  that’s  the  idee  why  I  come 
in  here  to  see  you.  We  want  you  to  fight  this  case. 
How  muchee  you  charge  to  do  this  lill  job  for  us? 
How  muchee  you  think,  Mr.  Ezra?  ” 

“  Oh, - ,  Ching!  How  do  I  know?  I  can’t 

tell  how  much  time  this  is  going  to  take  me.  You 
pay  down  a  retaining  fee,  and  then  the  rest  we 
shall  have  to  determine  upon  the  basis  of  the 
amount  of  time  I  spend  on  the  case.”  And  then, 
after  a  moment’s  pause,  he  added,  “  Yes,  the 
amount  of  time,  and  the  value  of  service  rendered. 
It  is  worth  a  whole  lot  to  you,  Hop  Ching,  to  get 
back  this  fifty-five  hundred  dollar  girl.” 


128 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


“  How  muchee  deposit  money  you  want  ?  ”  asked 
the  celestial. 

Little  Ezra  tapped  the  glass  top  of  his  office 
table  with  his  finger  tips,  and  pursed  his  lips  as 
though  he  were  about  to  whistle. 

“  Five  hundred  dollars/’  he  said  at  length. 

Hop  Ching  rose  to  go. 

“  I  go  catch  em  five  hundred  dollars,”  he  said. 
“  Plitty  soon  I  come  back.  When  you  think  we 
start  this  case,  Mr.  Jacobson?  ” 

“  No  rush  for  the  money,  Hop.  Any  time  today 
will  do.  Sit  down  a  minute.  I  want  to  ask  you 
some  questions.” 

Hop  Ching  returned  to  his  seat. 

“  Who  brought  the  girl  into  this  country  ?  ” 

“  Wong  Poy.” 

“  Did  she  come  as  his  wife?  ” 

“  Yes.” 

“  Have  any  trouble  with  the  immigration 
people?  ” 

“No  trouble,”  said  Hop,  as  he  fumbled  in  his 
pocket  for  a  paper. 

“  When  I  buy  Ah  Kum  I  buy  this,  too,”  he 
said  with  a  grin. 

The  paper  he  produced  was  Ah  Kum’s  certificate 
of  landing.  The  attorney  examined  it  carefully. 
“  Where  is  Wong  Poy  now?  ”  he  asked. 

“  Down  at  Walnut  Grove,  I  think,  maybe.” 

Ezra  Jacobson  sat  looking  out  of  the  window  of 
his  office.  Outwardly  he  retained  a  demeanour  of 


WHILE  THE  FURY  RAGES 


129 


professional  seriousness.  Inwardly  he  was  chuck¬ 
ling  to  himself. 

If  Ah  Kum  had  entered  the  country  as  Wong 
Poy’s  wife,  and  Wong  Poy  was  still  alive,  she  had 
that  legal  status  still.  This  being  the  case,  he 
reasoned  that  the  Juvenile  Court  proceedings  by 
which  she  had  been  committed  to  the  Home  were 
illegal,  since  her  husband  was  neither  present  nor 
represented  at  that  time.  All  that  would  be  neces¬ 
sary  now  would  be  to  interview  the  girl,  and  get 
her  in  some  way  to  acknowledge  that  she  was 
Wong  Poy’s  wife,  and  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus 
could  be  secured.  Jacobson  felt  that  success  was 
certain,  but  he  must  not  let  Hop  Ching  think  that 
it  was  going  to  be  an  easy  matter. 

“  I  think,”  he  said  at  length,  in  a  slow,  thought¬ 
ful  manner,  “  that  we  can  win  this  case,  and  get 
possession  of  the  girl,  Hop  Ching;  but  it  will  be  a 
hard  fight,  and  we  shall  have  to  be  prepared  to 
spend  money.” 

Declaring  himself  to  be  counsel  for  Ah  Kum’s 
husband,  Ezra  Jacobson  secured  from  the  judge  of 
the  Juvenile  Court  a  written  order  to  interview  the 
young  girl  at  the  Mission  Home. 

There  were  present  at  the  interview,  besides 
Jacobson  and  the  girl,  the  court  interpreter,  Rich¬ 
ard  Tee,  Catherine  McCormack  and  Miss  Foo, 
interpreter  for  the  Home. 

The  attorney  began  by  assuring  the  girl  in  a 
most  ingratiating  manner  that  she  need  not  be 


130 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


afraid,  that  he  was  her  friend,  and  had  just  come 
to  ask  a  few  questions. 

He  first  asked  her  name. 

“  Chan  Ah  Kum,”  she  replied. 

“  You  are  the  wife  of  Wong  Poy,  are  you  not  ?  ” 

“  I  married  him  in  China,”  she  replied,  “  but  he 
sold  me  into  slavery  as  soon  as  I  reached  San 
Francisco.” 

“  Did  you  testify  at  Angel  Island  that  you  were 
married  to  this  man?  ” 

“  Yes,  I  did.” 

“  Did  you  live  with  him  as  his  wife  after  you 
were  landed  ?  ” 

“  No !  Two  days  after  we  landed  he  sold  me  to 
be  a  slave — sold  me  to  Hop  Lee,  a  man  from 
Stockton.” 

“  Did  he  ask  you  to  live  a  life  of  shame  ?  ” 

“  He  didn’t  ask  me  anything  about  it ;  he  sold 
me  into  that  life.” 

“  Did  you  see  him  again  after  that?  ” 

“  I  have  not  seen  him  since  that  time.” 

“  What  happened  after  you  were  sold?  ” 

“  The  man  who  bought  me  took  me  to  Stockton 
and  to  Walnut  Grove.  There  he  forced  me  to 
earn  money  for  him,  and  treated  me  very  cruelly. 
Later  he  brought  me  to  San  Francisco,  where  I 
met  Hop  Ching  and  Amy  Low.  Hop  Ching 
gave  my  owner  fifty-five  hundred  dollars  for 
me.  I  heard  them  bartering,  and  saw  the  money 
paid  over.” 


WHILE  THE  FURY  RAGES 


131 


“  Did  your  husband  live  with  you  here  in  San 
Francisco?  ” 

“No!”  she  said,  showing  annoyance,  “I  have 
told  you  many  times  that  I  have  not  seen  him  since 
the  day  he  sold  me.” 

“  What  have  you  been  doing  here  in  San 
Francisco  ?  ” 

“  I  have  been  earning  money  for  Hop  Ching  and 
Amy  Low.” 

“  How?” 

“  Why  do  you  ask  me  such  a  question  ?  ”  she 
cried  fiercely.  “  I  have  told  you  that  I  have 
been  forced  to  sell  my  body.  You  know  that 
well  enough.”  Her  eyes  flashed  with  fury  and 
scorn. 

Jacobson  had  the  grace  to  look  abashed,  and  to 
change  his  line  of  questioning. 

“Do  you  want  to  go  back  to  your  husband?” 
he  asked. 

“  I  have  no  husband !  ”  the  girl  flung  back  at 
him.  “  He  brought  me  over  to  this  country  and 
sold  me  to  be  a  slave  girl.  He  cannot  claim  me 
now.” 

“  Do  you  want  to  go  back  to  China  ?  ” 

“  No!  I  want  to  stay  in  this  Home  and  study.” 

“  How  long  have  you  been  living  an  immoral 
life?” 

Her  eyes  burned  with  hatred  of  the  man  who 
was  thus  humiliating  her;  and  then,  without  an¬ 
swering,  she  turned  appealingly  to  her  benefactress. 


132 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


Catherine  McCormack,  realizing  that  he  wa9 
forcing  from  her  information  that  he  could  later 
use  in  a  threat  to  institute  deportation  proceedings, 
and  unable  to  contain  herself  any  longer,  answered 
the  appeal. 

“  Enough  of  this !  ”  she  broke  in,  indignantly, 
“I  demand  that  you  desist  from  any  further  ques¬ 
tioning  of  this  child.  Your  interrogating  tends 
only  to  distress  and  humiliate  her ;  and  cannot  have 
any  essential  bearing  on  the  final  outcome  of 
her  case.” 

“  I  have  an  order  from  the  Court,”  snapped 
Jacobson,  “  and  as  her  husband’s  attorney,  I  have 
a  perfect  right  to  ask  this  girl  any  question  that 
I  feel  has  an  important  bearing  upon  their  relation¬ 
ship  as  man  and  wife.”  And  then  with  an  insolent 
sneer,  he  added :  “  And  it  seems  to  me,  Miss  Mc¬ 
Cormack,  that  you,  a  professed  Christian  woman, 
should  be  the  last  person  to  want  to  come  between 
a  man  and  his  wife.” 

Catherine  McCormack  opened  her  mouth  to 
reply,  but  did  not  do  so  ;  for  Miss  Eoo,  who  during 
the  greater  part  of  this  interview,  had  been  like  a 
hound  straining  at  the  leash,  and  could  restrain  her 
feelings  no  longer,  beat  her  to  it. 

“  Mr.  Jacobson !  What  kind  of  a  man  are 
you?  ”  she  exclaimed.  “  Either  you  know  nothing 
of  this  abominable  slave  traffic  which  is  such  a 
blight  and  a  curse  upon  my  own  people  here  in 
America;  or,  you  are  one  of  those  contemptible 


WHILE  THE  FURY  RAGES 


133 


beings,  one  of  those  human  vultures,  who  prey 
upon  the  misfortunes  of  their  fellow-beings. 

“  My  own  people  are  guilty.  They  are  unspeak¬ 
ably  cruel  and  bad ;  but  to  whom  shall  we  Chinese 
people  look  for  help  and  uplift  if  not  to  the  Ameri¬ 
cans  among  whom  we  live  in  this  country?  But 
with  shame  and  sorrow  I  have  to  say  that  this  no¬ 
torious  slave  traffic,  that  ruins  lives  and  degrades 
my  people,  is  made  possible  through  the  selfish  and 
unscrupulous  co-operation  that  American  attorneys 
like  yourself  extend  to  the  Chinese  highbinders  and 
slave  importers,  thereby  making  it  possible  for 
them — in  fact  encouraging  them  and  helping  them 
— to  carry  on  this  traffic.” 

She  stopped  to  take  breath,  and  then  continued: 

“  Furthermore,  it  is  still  more  outrageous  that 
when  respectable  Chinese  and  American  women  are 
giving  their  lives  to  overcoming  this  traffic,  and 
saving  these  helpless  girls  from  slavery,  they  must 
be  dragged  back  into  it  through  the  efforts  of 
American  lawyers,  and  other  white  men,  who  are 
party  to  this  whole  illicit  business.  I  am  Chinese 
myself.  I  have  for  many  years  been  assisting  the 
women  who  carry  on  the  work  of  this  Home;  and 
I  know  of  what  I  speak.” 

Jacobson  attempted  to  interrupt  her,  but  he 
might  as  well  have  tried  to  stop  Niagara.  She 
had  had  dealings  with  this  man  in  court ;  she 
had  witnessed  his  brow-beating  of  young  girls 
on  the  stand  and  had  herself,  at  times,  been 


134 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


forced  to  submit  to  his  contemptible  tactics.  In 
court  she  could  not  talk  back  to  him.  Now  she 
had  an  opportunity  and  was  going  to  make  good 
use  of  it. 

She  was  only  half  his  size,  but  with  flashing 
eyes  she  faced  him,  and  attacked  him  so  fearlessly 
that  he  seemed  to  shrink  from  her. 

“  I  speak  from  my  own  personal  knowledge  of 
what  these  unfortunate,  helpless,  young  girls  have 
to  endure.  They  come  to  America  and  are  sold 
into  lives  of  shame  and  slavery.  I  know  too  well, 
from  my  own  experience  as  an  interpreter  in  the 
courts  up  and  down  the  Pacific  Coast,  that  the 
work  is  made  one  hundred  fold  more  difficult  be¬ 
cause  there  are  American  men  like  yourself  who 
are  without  conscience  and  without  heart,  who,  in¬ 
stead  of  giving  their  support  to  the  women  of  this 
institution,  unite  their  efforts  and  their  wits  with 
those  of  the  notorious  Chinese  highbinders  and 
slave  dealers  in  seeking  to  return  to  slavery  those 
whom  we  try  to  liberate.” 

“  You  misjudge  me,  Miss  Foo,  and  misunder¬ 
stand  my  motives,”  he  said  with  a  smirk,  “  I  am 
not  seeking  to  return  this  girl  to  a  life  of  slavery 
if  such  really  was  the  life  from  which  you  and 
Miss  McCormack  have  taken  her.  But,  of  course, 
you  know,  and  we  all  know,  that  sometimes  well- 
meaning  people  can  become  over-zealous  and  make 
very  serious  mistakes. 

“  There  are  still  several  questions  which,  as  at- 


WHILE  THE  FURY  RAGES 


135 


torney  for  Wong  Poy,  I  maintain  I  have  a  right  to 
ask  at  this  time. 

“  Ah  Kum,  do  you  wish  to  go  back  to  your 
husband  ?  ” 

“  Why  do  you  ask  me  such  questions?  ”  the  girl 
replied  with  a  stamp  of  her  foot.  “  I  have  told 
you,  haven’t  I,  that  he  is  not  my  husband?  He 
sold  me  into  slavery.” 

“  But  he  did  not  himself  force  you  to  commit 
immoral  acts.” 

“  Mr.  Jacobson,  this  is  positively  outrageous,” 
interjected  Miss  McCormack.  “  These  questions 
have  all  been  answered,  in  spirit,  if  not  in  letter. 
Any  further  questioning  of  this  young  girl  is  to  no 
purpose,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  other  than  to  distress 
and  embarrass  her.  I  insist  that  the  interview  end 
right  here  and  now.  I  took  you  at  your  word 
when  you  told  me  that  your  only  wish  in  interview¬ 
ing  this  young  girl  was  to  ascertain  from  her  own 
lips  whether  or  not  she  had  actually  been  sold,  and 
whether  she  had  in  truth  lived  an  immoral  life 
since  coming  to  this  country.  She  answered  these 
questions  fully  and  clearly  at  the  beginning  of  this 
interview,  and  I  cannot  understand  why  you  wish 
to  prolong  it  any  further.” 

Mr.  Jacobson,  hotly:  “  This  girl  was  committed 
to  you  by  the  Juvenile  Court,  but  the  proceedings 
were  not  regular.” 

“  In  what  manner  were  the  proceedings 
irregular?  ” 


136 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


“  Because  of  her  marriage  to  Wong  Poy  she  is 
not  legally  a  ward  of  the  Juvenile  Court.  Her 
husband  is  the  head  of  the  family,  and  should  have 
had  due  notice  before  the  case  was  heard.” 

“What  unmitigated  humbug,  Mr.  Jacobson! 
This  alleged  husband,  that  you  speak  of,  during 
the  time  Ah  Kum  has  lived  in  this  home  has  neither 
called  himself  to  see  her,  nor  telephoned,  nor  writ¬ 
ten  a  letter.  Nor  has  he  done  what  the  Chinese 
people  invariably  do  in  cases  where  there  has  been 
any  interference  with  their  domestic  affairs  or  re¬ 
lationships,  namely,  appeal  to  the  head  man  of  his 
own  clan  to  intercede  in  his  behalf,  neither  has  he 
appealed  to  the  Chinese  Six  Companies,  the  official 
tribunal  of  Chinatown,  nor  to  the  Chinese  Consu¬ 
late.  In  fact,  this  alleged  husband  and  so-called 
*  head  of  the  family  ’  has  taken  mighty  good  care 
to  keep  absolutely  in  hiding  since  this  young  girl 
came  to  the  Home.  These  facts  alone  indicate  the 
illegality  of  this  so-called  marriage  and  show  that 
even  now  this  man  knows  himself  to  be  a  fugitive 
from  justice.  Even  though  Chan  Ah  Kum  mar¬ 
ried  him  in  China  in  good  faith,  the  fact  that  two 
days  after  she  was  landed  in  San  Francisco  as  his 
wife  he  turned  her  over  to  a  notorious  slave  owner, 
and  abandoned  her  to  her  fate  has  nullified  abso¬ 
lutely  any  moral  rights  he  might  ever  have  had  as 
this  girl’s  husband.  I  consider  her  as  free  today  as 
I  am  to  choose  for  herself  any  life  she  may  wish 
apart  from  this  man.  We  give  him  no  consider- 


WHILE  THE  FURY  RAGES 


137 


ation  whatever  in  our  plans  for  this  young  girl’s 
future.” 

As  she  concluded  these  remarks  Catherine  Mc¬ 
Cormack  arose  from  her  seat  with  a  finality  that 
was  a  positive  indication  that  the  interview  was 
closed. 

“  Little  Ezra,”  feeling  “  littler  ”  than  ever, 
picked  up  his  papers  and  his  hat,  and  proceeded  to 
make  his  departure  with  the  best  grace  possible 
under  such  circumstances. 

As  he  was  leaving  the  room,  Ah  Kum,  turning 
to  the  interpreter,  said  earnestly,  “  Please  tell  that 
lawyer  to  go  back  and  tell  his  clients  that  they 
would  better  stop  hiring  lawyers  and  spending  their 
money  in  an  effort  to  get  me  away  from  this  Home. 
I  want  to  stay  here;  and  it  is  useless  for  them  to 
try  to  get  me  out !  ” 

Because  the  murder  of  Louie  Sam  had  been  one 
of  the  initial  incidents  in  one  of  the  fiercest  Tong 
Wars  in  many  years,  the  trial  of  Mar  Chet,  the 
assassin,  coming  as  it  did  when  the  war  was  at  its 
height,  awakened  much  public  interest. 

Judge  Harding’s  court  room  in  the  Superior 
Court  of  Fresno  County  was  crowded  with  Ameri¬ 
cans  and  Chinese  on  each  of  the  four  days  of  the 
duration  of  the  trial. 

Two  of  the  most  skillful  and  unscrupulous  crim¬ 
inal  lawyers  in  California  were  hired  by  the  Suey 
Yings  to  defend  Mar  Chet. 


138 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


The  defendant  pleaded  not  guilty;  and  the  de¬ 
fense  was  based  upon  the  plea  that  there  was  in¬ 
sufficient  evidence  to  convict  the  prisoner.  The 
officers,  it  was  contended,  did  not  see,  and  could  not 
have  seen,  Mar  Chet  shoot  Louie  Sam.  They  may 
have  seen  Louie  fall,  but  owing  to  the  relative 
positions  of  the  officers  and  Mar  Chet,  at  the  time 
the  latter  was  alleged  to  have  fired  the  fatal  shot,  it 
was  a  physical  impossibility  for  them  to  have 
seen  him. 

It  was  a  case  in  which  the  police  officers  were 
put  on  the  defensive  and  made  to  feel  that  they, 
rather  than  the  defendant,  were  on  trial. 

The  whole  conduct  of  the  defense  was  a  fine 
example  of  the  low-down  and  contemptible  meth¬ 
ods  dear  to  the  heart  of  a  certain  coterie  of  shy¬ 
ster  attorneys;  and  consisted  mainly  in  a  shame¬ 
less  attempt  to  confuse,  harass,  ridicule  and  brow¬ 
beat  two  officers  of  the  law  who  had  but  done  their 
duty,  and  were  conscientiously  trying  to  testify 
concerning  the  circumstances  under  which  they 
made  the  arrest. 

Parker,  the  younger  of  the  two  attorneys  for  the 
defense,  a  particularly  contemptible  and  repulsive 
individual,  over  and  over  again  sneeringly  referred 
to  the  officers  as  “  all-seeing,”  “  all-knowing,” 
“  brave,”  “  conscientious  public  servants,”  and  so 
forth ;  while  the  older  of  the  two  men  astonished  all 
self-respecting  persons  in  the  court  room  by  his 
bravado  when,  addressing  the  jury,  and  seeking  to 


WHILE  THE  FURY  RAGES 


139 


impress  upon  them  his  superior  familiarity  with 
things  Chinese,  he  blandly  informed  them  that  it 
was  a  common  saying  among  his  friends  that  his 
home  in  San  Rafael  had  been  “  built  out  of 
Tong  Wars.” 

After  a  bitter  argument  lasting  four  hours,  the 
case  went  to  the  jury,  which,  in  less  than  twenty 
minutes,  returned  a  verdict  of  murder  in  the  first 
degree. 

Motion  for  a  new  trial  was  made  and  denied. 

A  few  days  later  Mar  Chet  appeared  again  be¬ 
fore  Judge  Harding  to  receive  sentence.  The  court 
room  was  crowded.  An  air  of  tenseness  and  sol¬ 
emnity  prevailed.  Mar  Chet  stood  before  the  bar, 
the  court  interpreter  at  his  side.  Quietly,  solemnly, 
slowly,  at  the  end  of  each  sentence  pausing  for  the 
interpreter,  Judge  Harding  pronounced  sentence. 

“  An  indictment  having  been  returned  by  the 
Grand  Jury  of  the  County  of  Fresno,  State  of 
California,”  he  said,  “  and  filed  in  this  court  on 
the  thirtieth  day  of  December,  nineteen  twenty-one, 
charging  that  you,  Mar  Chet,  did  at  and  in  the 
County  of  Fresno,  State  of  California,  on  the 
twenty-second  of  December,  nineteen  twenty-one, 
wilfully,  unlawfully  and  feloniously,  and  with 
malice  aforethought,  kill  and  murder  one  Louie 
Sam,  a  human  being,  upon  which  said  indictment 
you  were  duly  arraigned,  and  entered  a  plea  of 
not  guilty,  and  were  therefore  tried  by  a  jury  of 
your  own  selection,  which  said  jury  returned  a 


140 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


verdict  of  guilty  of  murder  in  the  first  degree;  and 
thereafter  your  motion  for  a  new  trial  was  by  this 
court  denied. 

“  Now,  therefore,  it  is.  ordered  and  adjudged  by 
this  court  that  you,  Mar  Chet,  be  delivered  by  the 
Sheriff  of  the  County  of  Fresno,  State  of  Califor¬ 
nia,  to  the  warden  of  the  State  Prison  at  San 
Quentin,  California,  and  that  said  warden,  on  a 
date  to  be  fixed  in  a  warrant  to  be  hereafter  issued, 
do  hang  you,  Mar  Chet,  by  the  neck  until  you 
are  dead.” 

There  was  a  moment  of  silence  that  could  be 
felt. 

Mar  Chet  evinced  no  signs  of  emotion  as  the 
court  bailiff  placed  the  handcuffs  on  his  wrists  and 
led  him  away. 

His  attorney  served  notice  of  an  appeal. 


IX 

IN  THE  COILS  OE  THE  SERPENT 


ROBERT  GARRISON  sat  in  his  little  office 
in  one  of  the  Mission  buildings  in  the 
Chinese  Quarter  in  San  Francisco. 

He  was  huddled  in  his  swivel-chair,  his  hands 
deep  in  his  trousers  pockets  and  his  feet  thrust  far 
under  his  desk.  Before  him  lay  a  copy  of  an  illus¬ 
trated  magazine,  a  special  feature  of  which  was  to 
portray  “  the  news  of  the  world  in  pictures.” 
Deep  in  thought  he  had  for  some  time  gazed  at  the 
paper  without  seeing  anything  it  contained.  Then 
gradually  his  eyes  became  focussed  upon  a  picture 
copied  from  a  photograph  taken  in  Central  Amer¬ 
ica.  It  was  a  picture  of  a  sheep  being  slowly 
crushed  to  death  by  a  boa  constrictor,  the  coils  of 
which  were  tightly  wrapped  about  the  creature’s 
body. 

As  Garrison  gazed  at  the  picture  it  seemed  to 
come  to  life  and  to  speak  to  him.  He  saw  the 
sheep,  a  symbol  of  the  Chinese  community  in  which 
he  laboured,  and  the  serpent  a  symbol  of  High- 
binderism  as  he  knew  it  operative  through  the 
Tongs.  The  sheep  called  pleadingly  to  him  for 
deliverance  from  the  serpent  in  the  coils  of  which 
it  was  powerless  to  help  itself. 


141 


142 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


For  years  Garrison  had  been  engaged  in  welfare 
work  among  the  Chinese  people.  He  spoke  their 
language,  hobnobbed  with  them,  ate  with  them, 
rejoiced  with  them  in  their  joys,  and  sorrowed 
with  them  in  their  sorrows.  He  felt  that  he  un¬ 
derstood  them;  and  to  understand  the  Chinese 
people  is  to  admire  and  love  them. 

He  was  all  too  familiar  with  this  monster,  high- 
binderism.  He  had  for  years  studied  it  at  close 
range.  In  his  efforts  to  educate  and  uplift  the 
community  he  encountered  it  constantly  as  time 
and  again  in  one  way  or  another  it  raised  its  head 
to  thwart  him.  He  saw  in  it  a  bitter  foe  to  every¬ 
thing  that  was  good  in  American  civilization;  an 
un-American  but  powerful,  subtle,  cruel  and  in¬ 
iquitous  monster,  holding  the  Chinese  people  in  its 
relentless  grip. 

Only  that  afternoon  he  had  once  again  seen  the 
power  of  this  system  demonstrated  in  a  manner 
which  brought  home  to  him  anew  the  realization 
of  the  fact  that  not  only  the  Chinese  themselves, 
but  American  people  who  were  striving  for  the 
welfare  of  this  alien  group,  became  at  times  en¬ 
meshed  in  the  coils  of  this  monster  and  rendered 
powerless  to  strike  back. 

He  was  thinking  of  the  father  who  but  an  hour 
or  so  before  had,  in  that  very  office,  poured  out  to 
him  the  story  of  the  seduction  of  his  two  little 
boys  by  promoters  of  the  opium  traffic ;  and  of  his 
(the  father’s)  utter  helplessness  to  strike  back. 


IN  THE  COILS  OF  THE  SERPENT  143 


Woo  Hing’s  two  boys  had  been  arrested  several 
times  for  peddling  opium  cards.* 

The  first  time  they  had  been  arrested  and 
brought  into  the  juvenile  court  they  had  testified 
that  an  unknown  man  had  told  them  to  deliver 
these  cards  at  a  certain  address  where  they  would 
each  receive  twenty-five  cents.  They  did  not  know, 
they  said,  what  these  cards  were. 

The  second  time  they  had  been  kept  at  the  deten¬ 
tion  home  for  a  few  days  and  an  attempt  made  to 
find  out  who  was  employing  them.  Either  they 
did  not  know,  or,  having  been  thoroughly  filled 
with  fear  beforehand,  they  would  not  tell.  They 
were  dismissed  after  promising  that  the  next  time 
they  were  approached  they  would  inform  the 
police. 

Now  they  had  been  arrested  a  third  time  and 
the  judge  had  committed  them  to  a  reform  school 
and  ordered  their  father  to  pay  for  their  support. 
This  the  father  was  able  enough  to  do ;  but  from 
the  thought  of  putting  his  boys  in  a  reform  school 
his  soul  shrank  with  horror. 

“  My  boys  are  not  bad  boys,”  he  had  said  to 
Garrison,  “  I  think  they  will  learn  more  bad  things 
there  than  here  in  Chinatown;  and  maybe  by  and 

*  An  opium  card  is  an  ordinary  playing  card  smeared  with 
a  coating  of  opium — which  looks  very  much  like  molasses — 
and  folded  double.  The  receiver  scrapes  off  the  opium  with 
a  pen  knife  and  has  a  sufficient  quantity  for  several  smokes. 
Should  some  unsophisticated  person  see  a  child  carrying  such 
cards  he  would  probably  think  that  the  child  had  some  old 
playing  cards,  and  give  the  matter  no  second  thought. 


144 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


by  they  will  come  back  to  me  all-the-same  high¬ 
binders.  Why  don’t  you  American  Christian 
people  open  a  home  for  Chinese  boys  ?  I  will  pay 
you  to  take  care  of  my  boys.  Plenty  of  other 
people  are  willing  to  pay  you,  too.” 

“  Some  day,  I  hope,  we  can  open  such  a  home,” 
replied  Garrison. 

“  Some  day,  Mr.  Garrison,  may  be  ?  But  what 
will  my  little  boys  do  right  now?  ” 

“  Perhaps  if  your  boys  would  tell  who  it  is  who 
employs  them  to  peddle  opium,  the  judge  would 
not  send  them  to  a  reform  school,”  Garrison 
suggested. 

“  Mr.  Garrison,”  said  Woo,  “  you  know  all  about 
those  highbinder  fellows.  You  know  well  enough 
that  they  would  kill  my  little  boys  if  they  told.” 

Garrison  looked  full  into  the  face  of  the  troubled 
father. 

“  Mr.  Woo,”  he  said,  “  do  you  know  who  it  is  ?  ” 

Woo  made  no  reply. 

Garrison  repeated  the  question. 

Woo  rose  to  go;  but  Garrison  rose  also,  and, 
stepping  to  the  door,  placed  his  back  against  it. 
“  Mr.  Woo,”  he  said,  “  tell  me  who  it  is.” 

“  Mr.  Garrison,  you  know  those  highbinder  fel¬ 
lows,”  he  wailed.  “  I  tell  you  they’ll  kill  me.” 

Garrison  pleaded  with  the  man  to  divulge  his 
secret. 

At  length  the  Chinese  said,  “  Mr.  Garrison,  you 
a  Christian?  ” 


IN  THE  COILS  OF  THE  SERPENT  145 


“  Yes,  Mr.  Woo.” 

“  Then  swear  by  your  God  that  you  will  not  tell 
anyone  that  I  tell  you  this  ?  ” 

Garrison  thought  a  moment.  Knowledge  was 
power,  even  though  he  could  not  divulge  the 
source  of  it. 

“  Yes,  Mr.  Woo,  I  swear.” 

Then  the  Chinese,  coming  close  to  Garrison,  and 
barely  whispering,  spoke  a  name  that  made  the 
American  start. 

Woo  had  named  the  son  of  one  of  the  most 
prominent  merchants  in  Chinatown.  A  man  who 
moved  in  the  very  best  of  Chinese  society,  dressed 
like  a  gentleman,  sported  his  own  Packard  touring 
car,  and  stood  in  well  with  American  business  men 
in  San  Francisco. 

“  Mr.  Garrison,”  he  said,  “  Tong  Choy  sells 
many  thousand  dollars  worth  of  opium  every  year. 
He  knows  that  I  know  that  he  employed  my  boys. 
Last  night  he  came  to  my  house  and  said  that  if  my 
little  boys  told,  or  if  I  told,  he  would  have  the 
highbinders  kill  all  three  of  us.” 

Garrison  stood  leaning  against  the  door  of  his 
office,  looking  at  this  man  who  had  just  divulged 
this  secret.  His  first  thought  was  to  urge  the  man 
to  go  with  him  to  the  Federal  authorities  and  there 
tell  what  he  had  just  told  him.  They  would  give 
him  protection  from  the  highbinders.  But  as  he 
stood  looking  at  the  man  and  thinking,  there  arose 
up  before  him  the  vision  of  a  helpless  little  wife 


146 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


and  five  young  children;  for  Woo  had  spoken  the 
truth  when  he  had  said  that  Tong  Choy  would  kill 
him;  and  Garrison  knew  it  was  the  truth.  They 
could  give  him  protection,  but  that  would  only  be 
temporary.  Sooner  or  later  the  long  arm  of  the 
Tong  would  reach  out  and  get  him. 

Thus  Robert  Garrison  found  himself  in  posses¬ 
sion  of  information  which  under  favourable  cir¬ 
cumstances  could  be  used  to  put  Tong  Choy  behind 
the  bars  for  a  long  time  to  come ;  and  yet  his  hands 
were  tied.  To  be  sure,  some  use  could  be  made  of 
the  information,  but  without  Woo’s  testimony  it 
could  not  be  used  to  prosecute  Tong  Choy. 

It  was  after  this  interview,  as  Garrison  was 
sitting  alone  at  his  office  desk,  that  his  eyes  fell 
upon  the  picture  of  the  serpent  and  the  sheep. 

“My  God!”  he  exclaimed,  waking  out  of  his 
reverie  and  pounding  the  top  of  his  desk  with  his 
fist,  “  I  will  destroy  that  monster,  or  render  him 
harmless,  if  it  costs  me  my  life.” 

Leaving  his  office,  he  went  to  call  on  Catherine 
McCormack,  as  he  was  in  the  habit  of  doing  when¬ 
ever  he  became  particularly  desperate  over  the 
situation,  or  whenever  he  had  some  especially 
difficult  problem  to  solve. 

He  found  her  in  the  parlour  of  the  home,  sur¬ 
rounded  by  her  coterie  of  helpers.  She  had  just 
returned  from  a  trip  back  east. 

She  listened  sympathetically  as  Garrison  related 
to  her  his  latest  experience. 


IN  THE  COILS  OF  THE  SERPENT  147 


“  My  dear  Mr.  Garrison,”  she  exclaimed,  when 
he  had  finished  his  story,  “  I  have  just  come  from 
facing  almost  identically  the  same  problem  in 
Chicago. 

“  You  remember,  don’t  you,  the  little  girl,  Leen 
Toy,  whom  we  rescued  last  summer  here  in  San 
Francisco  and  who,  by  the  wiley  trickery  of  our 
friend  Jacobson,  was  returned  to  her  owner?  ” 

Garrison  replied  that  he  remembered  the  incident 
distinctly;  and  she  continued: 

“  I  received  word  recently  to  the  effect  that  she 
was  in  Chicago  and  was  being  exploited  for  im¬ 
moral  purposes  by  her  owner  who,  you  will  recall, 
claims  to  be  her  husband. 

“  I  made  this  trip  to  Chicago  especially  to  get 
this  child.  I  felt  that  I  could  afford  to  do  so  be¬ 
cause  my  informant  was  a  Chicago  Chinese  whom 
I  knew  I  could  trust  to  tell  a  straight  and  reliable 
story. 

“We  arrived  in  Chicago,  Miss  Foo  and  I,  a 
week  ago  last  night;  and  after  supper  we  went  to 
call  upon  my  informant,  a  Mr.  Lum. 

“  He  said  that  the  girl  was  there  in  Chicago’s 
Chinatown  and  was  being  exploited.  He  knew  the 
house  in  which  she  was,  but  was  not  sure  iust 
which  room  she  occupied,  or  what  would  be  the 
best  method  of  rescuing  her.  If  I  would  return 
the  next  day,  he  would  have  all  the  necessary  in¬ 
formation  ready  for  me. 

“  Next  morning,  about  eleven  o’clock,  we  re- 


148 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


turned  and  found  him  in  a  state  of  great  agitation 
and  fear. 

“  Just  before  midnight  the  night  before  a  group 
of  men,  all  members  of  the  Lum  family,  had  called 
upon  him — he  and  the  owner  are  both  members  of 
the  Lum  family.  These  men  told  him  that  they 
knew  that  f  the  Tiger  ’  was  in  town,  and  that  she 
had  called  on  him — just  think  how  quickly  news 
travels  in  Chinatown! — that,  of  course,  she  was 
after  the  girl,  that  he  knew  where  she  was,  and 
that  he  was  the  only  one  with  whom  Miss  McCor¬ 
mack  was  acquainted  who  did  know.  Therefore, 
they  would  hold  him  responsible  for  any  trouble 
that  should  occur.  ‘  If  any  attempt  is  made  to  steal 
the  girl,  you  will  be  instantly  killed,’  they  had  told 
him.  ‘  If  you  want  to  save  your  life,  you  would 
better  use  your  influence  to  send  that  white  devil 
back  to  San  Francisco  before  she  meddles  with 
our  business.’ 

“  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  that  man,  Mr. 
Garrison,  as  with  tears  in  his  eyes  he  implored 
me  not  to  make  any  move  that  would  cost  him 
his  life. 

“  ‘  I  don’t  care  about  myself,’  he  said ;‘I  am  not 
afraid  to  die  But  what  will  my  wife  and  six 
children  do?  They  are  all  small  children.  If  the 
Lums  kill  me  nobody  will  take  care  of  my  chil¬ 
dren.  Maybe  they  will  take  and  sell  my  little 
girls,  too.’ 

“  Mr.  Garrison,  I  had  gone  all  the  way  to  Chi- 


IN  THE  COILS  OF  THE  SERPENT  149 


cago  to  rescue  that  girl.  I  had  in  my  purse  a 
Juvenile  Court  bench  warrant  for  her  arrest,  which 
I  had  secured  that  morning ;  but  what  could  I  do  ? 
You  and  I  both  know  that  these  fellows  would, 
sooner  or  later,  make  good  their  threats.  I  had 
gone  after  one.  How  could  I  do  anything  when 
my  first  move  would  have  put  eight  in  jeopardy, 
would  have  robbed  that  family  of  the  father  and 
bread  winner,  and  would  have  imperiled  that  help¬ 
less  wife  and  those  helpless  children?  ” 

Garrison  sat  for  a  moment  in  silence. 

“  We  are  all  becoming  enmeshed  in  the  coils  of 
this  serpent,”  he  said  at  length.  “  Your  hands  are 
tied  and  so  are  mine.  Unless  somebody  does  some¬ 
thing  before  long,  we  may  as  well  give  up  all  efforts 
to  help  these  people.” 

“  We  shall  never  give  up,  Mr.  Garrison.  But  it 
does  seem  terrible  that  so  few  of  our  American 
people  realize  what  folks  like  you  and  I  are  up 
against.” 

Only  a  few  weeks  after  the  above  related  inci¬ 
dents,  Wong  Choy,  a  good-hearted,  peace-loving, 
inoffensive  Chinese,  was  shot  down  in  cold  blood 
as  he  stood  at  the  counter  in  his  store.  Wong  left 
a  widow  and  ten  children,  the  oldest  of  whom  was 
fourteen  years  of  age,  a  charming  young  high- 
school  girl. 

The  whole  community  was  deeply  stirred  over 
this  tragedy. 


150 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


A  group  of  earnest  and  determined  persons,  en¬ 
raged  over  conditions  which  seemed  to  be  get¬ 
ting  worse  and  worse,  and  hoping  to  find  some 
way  to  grapple  with  the  situation,  met  in  Gar¬ 
rison’s  office.  They  were  Catherine  McCormack, 
Judge  Moore,  Captains  Torrimer  and  Scott,  of 
the  police  department,  several  religious  and  so¬ 
cial  workers  among  the  Chinese,  three  Chinese 
pastors  and  the  secretary  of  the  Chinese  Y.  M. 
C.  A. 

One  man,  whom  all  had  hoped  would  be  there, 
was  not  present.  Garrison  had  just  come  from 
an  interview  with  him  in  his  office.  He  had  ex¬ 
pressed  appreciation  of  what  they  were  doing  and 
wished  them  the  utmost  success.  “  But,”  he  said, 
with  a  shrug  of  his  shoulders,  “  you  know  how 
these  things  go.  Because  of  recent  utterances  I 
am  already  a  marked  man.  Should  I  come  to  your 
meeting  today,  and  the  purpose  of  your  meeting 
become  known,  I  should  be  a  dead  man  before 
morning.” 

Garrison  could  scarcely  believe  his  ears.  Here 
was  one  man  on  whom  he  thought  he  surely  could 
rely.  He  had  always  stood  for  the  better  things 
in  the  life  of  the  community  and  had  seemed  so 
fearless;  and  now  this  man  was  standing  behind 
his  office  desk  with  face  pale  and  his  voice  trem¬ 
bling  as  he  expressed  his  own  fear  and  dread  of 
this  diabolical  system.  If  such  a  man,  a  leader  in 
the  community,  was  so  in  bondage  to  fear,  how 


IN  THE  COILS  OF  THE  SERPENT  151 


could  it  be  expected  that  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
better  class  Chinese  could  be  made  to  rally  ? 

“  Surely  we  are  all  in  the  coils  of  this  serpent,” 
said  Garrison,  as  he  walked  down  the  stairs  from 
this  man’s  office  and  into  the  street. 

As  might  be  expected,  under  such  circumstances, 
nothing  came  of  the  meeting.  The  Chinese  said 
that  the  fault  was  with  the  police  department,  the 
courts  and  American  law. 

The  police  Captains  and  Judge  Moore  pointed 
out  that  there  were  laws  adequate  to  deal  with  the 
situation,  but  that  much  of  the  time  it  was  well 
nigh  impossible  to  make  arrests  or  to  get  convic¬ 
tions,  owing  to  the  fact  that  Chinese  could  not  be 
found  who  dared  to  testify  in  the  courts. 

Garrison  suggested  a  campaign  of  education  and 
agitation  against  the  Tongs.  He  would  have  cir¬ 
culars  printed  and  distributed,  street  meetings  and 
parades,  culminating  in  a  great  mass  meeting  at 
which  speeches  would  be  made,  and  the  Chinese 
exhorted  to  rise  up  and  throw  off  the  yoke  of 
the  Tongs. 

“  Who  would  write  the  circulars,  and  who  would 
print  them  after  they  were  written?  ”  asked  one  of 
the  Chinese  pastors. 

“  Who  would  participate  in  the  street  meetings 
and  lead  the  parades  ?  ”  asked  another. 

“  I  would  be  willing  to  write  the  pamphlets, 
one  of  you  could  translate  them,  they  could  be 
printed  by  a  Japanese  firm  and  could  go  out  under 


152 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


my  name.  I  am  willing  to  speak  on  the  streets  and 
lead  the  parades,  if  you  men  will  follow/’  said 
Garrison. 

“  It  is  alright  for  you,  Mr.  Garrison.  The  high¬ 
binders  would  not  hurt  you ;  but  the  lives  of  your 
Chinese  associates  would  not  be  worth  much.” 

Garrison  became  impatient,  perhaps  more  so 
than  at  any  time  while  he  had  been  associated  with 
the  Chinese. 

“  Then  are  we  to  do  nothing?”  he  almost 
shouted.  “  Are  we  to  lie  down  and  let  the  Tongs 
walk  over  us?  Are  we  to  submit  for  ever  to 
their  tyranny  and  bondage?  Are  we  to  stand 
by  and  do  nothing  while  they  plunder  and  kill 
innocent  persons,  while  they  keep  the  commun¬ 
ity  in  terror  and  confusion,  while  they  lead  the 
rising  generation  of  Chinese  into  greater  cor¬ 
ruption  and  barbarism  than  that  from  which  their 
fathers  came? 

“  Where  is  your  courage  ? 

“  Is  it  not  worth  some  sacrifice  to  free  the  com¬ 
munity  of  this  curse? 

“  You  are  not  like  your  fellow-countrymen  who 
threw  off  the  yoke  of  the  Manchus!  You  are  not 
like  the  Chinese  young  men  who  went  over  the  top 
in  France  wearing  the  uniform  of  the  United 
States  army!  You  are  not  like  your  Cantonese 
brethren  who  today  in  China  are  fighting  back  the 
armies  of  the  North!  You  talk  much  about  driv¬ 
ing  the  Japanese  out  of  Kiau  Chow,  why  not  do 


IN  THE  COILS  OF  THE  SERPENT  153 


something  to  break  the  power  of  these  fighting 
Tongs  here  in  San  francisco?” 

He  spoke  with  deep  feeling,  and  yet,  looking  into 
their  faces  as  he  spoke,  he  felt  a  growing  convic¬ 
tion  that  it  was  not  a  fair  challenge  that  he  was 
putting  up  to  them,  nor  a  fair  fight  that  he  was 
calling  them  to.  He  was  asking  them  to  expose 
themselves  unarmed  to  a  foe  that  did  not  fight  in 
the  open,  but  who  stabbed  in  the  back  under  the 
cover  of  darkness,  a  foe  who  ever  stooped  to 
methods  which  they  could  not  and  would  not 
employ;  a  foe  who  could  and  did  bribe  police  of¬ 
ficers,  buy  witnesses,  hire  expert  attorneys,  tamper 
with  juries  and  influence  courts.  Against  such  a 
foe  they  did  not  have  a  fair  fighting  chance. 

What  if  he  was  willing  to  be  their  leader,  to 
make  their  fight  his  fight,  to  stand  or  fall  with 
them  ?  He  knew  well  enough  that  it  would  be  they 
and  not  he  who  would  pay  the  price.  They  were 
all  poor  men  and  most  of  them  had  wives  and 
large  families.  How  could  he  urge  them  to  expose 
themselves  to  a  danger  which  for  them  was  so 
great  but  for  him  so  small? 

Again  he  felt  the  pressure  of  the  coils  of  the 
serpent,  and  as  he  felt  it  he  writhed. 

There  was  an  air  of  expectancy  in  Judge  Ryan’s 
court  room.  A  number  of  very  commonplace  cases 
had  occupied  the  calendar  throughout  the  morning. 
It  was  nearing  noon.  Many  of  the  habitual  spec- 


154 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


tators  had  become  bored  and  sought  excitement  in 
other  departments  of  the  Pblice  Court.  A  little 
more  than  a  handful  remained,  but  most  of  those 
were  keenly  interested  in  a  case  that  was  yet  to  be 
called;  and  retained  their  seats  in  patience. 

“  Number  10  on  the  continued  list.  The  People 
vs.  Hop  Ching,”  called  the  Clerk  of  the  Court. 

There  was  a  stir  among  the  spectators. 

Catherine  McCormack  and  Miss  Foo,  accom¬ 
panying  a  timid,  little  Chinese  maid,  arose  from 
their  seats  and  approached  the  bench. 

An  event  of  unusual  importance  and  far- 
reaching  significance  was  about  to  take  place. 
Chan  Ah  Kum  was  going  to  testify  against  her 
owner. 

Not  long  after  the  visit  of  little  Ezra  to  the 
Home,  and  his  ignominious  retreat,  Ah  Kum,  as 
the  result  of  a  conversation  with  her  benefactress, 
had  decided  to  avail  herself  of  the  opportunity 
afforded  by  the  State  and  take  the  stand  against  her 
owner.  Consequently  she  had  filed  a  complaint 
against  him. 

Ah  Kum  took  the  stand  and,  being  sworn,  an¬ 
swered  the  usual  questions  concerning  her  name, 
residence  and  occupation. 

“  Do  you  recognize  this  man  ?  ”  asked  the  Prose¬ 
cuting  Attorney,  pointing  to  Hop  Ching. 

“  Yes.” 

“Who  is  he?” 

“  Hop  Ching,  my  owner.” 


IN  THE  COILS  OF  THE  SERPENT  155 


“  The  same  as  named  in  the  complaint  ?  ” 

“  Yes.” 

“  Where  did  you  first  meet  him?  ” 

“  In  San  Francisco  Chinatown.” 

“  When?” 

“  Some  time  about  the  end  of  September,  1920.” 

“  Under  what  circumstances  ?  ” 

“  He  came  to  call  upon  me  while  I  was  staying 
at  the  Chung  Waa  Hotel  in  room  No.  25  with  a 
man  named  Hop  Lee,  who  was  my  owner  at  that 
time.” 

“  Was  there  any  conversation  between  Hop  Lee 
and  Hop  Ching  at  that  time  ?  ” 

“  Yes,  they  talked  about  me.” 

“  What  did  they  say  about  you  ?  ” 

“  Just  a  moment,”  interposed  Ezra  Jacobson, 
counsel  for  the  defense,  “  we  object  to  that 
question  on  the  ground  that  it  is  incompetent, 
irrelevant,  immaterial  and  has  no  bearing  on  the 
complaint  upon  which  this  defendant  is  being 
tried.” 

“  The  objection  is  over-ruled  for  the  present,” 
replied  the  Judge.  “  If  the  prosecution  intends  to 
use  the  answer  to  this  question  to  show  what 
relation  came  to  exist  between  this  girl  and  the 
defendant,  the  question  is  a  perfectly  proper 
one.” 

The  interpreter  put  the  question,  “  What  did 
they  say  about  you  ?  ” 

“  They  talked  about  Hop  Ching  buying  me.” 


156 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


“  What  was  the  result  of  the  conversation,  if 
any?  ” 

“  We  object/’  again  interposed  Jacobson,  “  on 
the  ground  that  this  question  is  incompetent, 
irrelevant  and  immaterial  and  has  no  bearing  on 
the  complaint  upon  which  this  defendant  is  being 
tried.” 

“  Over-ruled.  You  may  answer,”  said  the  Judge. 

The  court  stenographer  read  the  question, 
“  What  was  the  result  of  the  conversation,  if 
any?  ” 

“  Hop  Ching  bought  me.” 

“  How  much  did  he  pay  for  you?  ” 

“  If  your  Honour  please,  we  object  to  all  these 
questions  as  being  incompetent,  irrelevant  and  im¬ 
material  and  having  no  bearing  upon  the  complaint 
as  filed.” 

“  Over-ruled.” 

“  How  much  did  he  pay  for  you  ?  ”  repeated  the 
interpreter. 

"$5500.00.” 

“  Did  you  see  the  money  paid  over?  ” 

“  Yes.” 

“  Since  that  time,  what  have  you  been  doing?  ” 

“  Earning  money  for  Hop  Ching.” 

“  How?” 

“  As  a  prostitute.” 

“  Have  you  ever  paid  any  money  to  him  ?  ” 

“  Yes.” 


“  When  and  how  much?  ” 


IN  THE  COILS  OF  THE  SERPENT  157 


“  Some  time  in  May,  1921,  I  paid  him  $300. 00.” 

“  Did  you  pay  him  any  money  at  any  other 
time?” 

“  Some  time  in  June,  1921,  at  the  end  of  the 
month,  I  paid  him  $250.00.” 

“  How  did  you  get  this  money?  ” 

“  It  was  my  earnings  as  a  slave  girl.” 

“  Did  you  ever  pay  him  any  other  money  ?  ” 

“  During  the  ten  months  he  has  owned  me,  I 
have  paid  him  about  $3,000.00.” 

“  This  all  happened  in  the  city  and  county  of 
San  Francisco?  ” 

“  Yes.” 

Ah  Kum  answered  all  these  questions  un¬ 
falteringly.  It  looked  as  though  victory  for 
the  prosecution  was  assured.  Hop  Ching 
would  certainly  be  held  to  answer  in  the  Superior 
Court. 

“  That  is  all,”  said  the  Prosecuting  Attorney, 
“  you  may  take  the  witness.” 

Little  Ezra,  assuming  his  most  menacing  atti¬ 
tude,  stepped  close  to  Ah  Kum  and,  glaring  at  her, 
said  in  a  harsh  voice :  “  How  old  are  you  ?  ” 

“  Twenty.” 

“  Did  not  you  testify,  when  you  were  landed 
four  years  ago,  that  you  were  then  twenty  years 
of  age?  ” 

“  Yes.” 

“  But  now  you  say  you  are  still  twenty  ?  ” 

"  Yes  ” 


158 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


“  Then  when  you  were  landed  and  said  you 
were  twenty,  you  committed  perjury,  did  you 
not?  ” 

“If  your  Honour  please,  we  object  to  these 
questions  as  being  incompetent,  irrelevant  and  im¬ 
material,  not  bearing  upon  the  case  and  not  proper 
cross  examination.” 

“We  beg  to  submit  that  these  questions  are 
highly  relevant  and  material,”  snapped  Jacobson. 
“  This  witness  has  made  very  serious  charges 
against  our  client,  and  we  have  the  right  to  show 
that  she,  having  previously  perjured  herself,  her 
word  is  not  to  be  relied  upon.” 

“  The  objection  is  over-ruled  for  the  present,” 
said  Judge  Ryan. 

The  court  reporter  read  the  question  and  it  was 
interpreted.  Ah  Kum  became  uneasy  and  squirmed 
in  her  chair. 

“  I  said  what  I  was  told  to  say  by  the  man  who 
brought  me  in.” 

“  I  don’t  care  who  told  you,”  roared  Jacobson, 
“  did  you  at  that  time  tell  the  truth  or  not?  ” 

“  I  said  what  I  was  told  to  say.” 

“  Was  what  you  said  the  truth?  ” 

Ah  Kum,  looking  downcast,  “  No.” 

Already  her  morale  was  giving  way  before  the 
merciless  attitude  and  brow-beating  tactics  of  little 
Ezra. 

“  Now  then,”  he  continued,  “  you  testified  just 
now  that  you  heard  the  conversation  between 


IN  THE  COILS  OF  THE  SERPENT  159 


Hop  Lee  and  Hop  Ching,  which  is  alleged  to 
have  taken  place  in  room  26  of  the  Chung  Waa 
Hotel  some  time  about  the  end  of  September, 
1920.  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  you  were  in  the  next 
room  all  the  time  that  these  two  men  were  engaged 
in  conversation?  ” 

“  No.” 

“  Then  where  were  you  ?  ” 

“  I  was  in  the  same  room  as  they  were.” 

“  Was  Hop  Ching  standing  or  sitting.” 

“  I  don’t  remember.” 

“  Was  Hop  Lee  standing  or  sitting?  ” 

“  I  don’t  remember  that  either.” 

“  How  many  windows  were  there  in  that 
room  ?  ” 

“  We  object  to  all  these  questions,”  said  the 
Prosecuting  Attorney,  “  on  the  ground  that  they 
are  incompetent,  irrelevant  and  immaterial,  and 
not  proper  cross  examination.” 

“If  your  Honour  please,  these  questions  are 
perfectly  proper.  I  am  seeking  to  test  the  reliabil¬ 
ity  of  the  witness.” 

“  The  objection  is  sustained.” 

“  Very  well,”  continued  Jacobson.  “  You  said 
that  Hop  Ching  talked  to  Hop  Lee  about  buying 
you.  Can  you  tell  me  what  they  said?  ” 

“  I  cannot  remember  all  they  said.” 

“  Can  you  remember  anything  they  said?  ” 

“  They  talked  about  buying  and  selling  me.” 

“  Did  they  mention  your  name?  ” 


160 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


“  I  don’t  know,  but  they  talked  about  me.” 

“  You  don’t  know  whether  your  name  was  men¬ 
tioned  or  not,  and  yet  you  say  they  talked  about 
you  ?  ”  roared  Jacobson.  “  How  do  you  know  they 
were  talking  about  you  ?  ” 

Ah  Kum  was  becoming  pale.  She  sat  looking 
at  the  floor;  shifting  often  in  her  seat,  and  began 
to  pinch  one  hand  with  the  fingers  of  the  other — a 
sure  sign  of  growing  nervousness. 

“  I  know  they  were  talking  about  me,”  she 
mumbled. 

“  But  you  didn’t  hear  your  name  mentioned,  did 
you?  ” 

“  I  don’t  remember.” 

“  Now  you  said  that  you  saw  $5500  paid  by  Hop 
Ching  to  Hop  Bee.  Is  that  a  fact  ?  ” 

“  Yes.” 

“  Did  you  count  the  money?  ” 

“  No.” 

“  Then  how  do  you  know  there  was  $5500.00?  ” 

“  I  heard  them  say.” 

“  Oh,  you  heard  them  say,  did  you?  You  heard 
them  say  $5500,  but  you  don’t  know  whether  they 
mentioned  your  name  or  not?  Now,  isn’t  it  a  fact 
that  whatever  money  was  paid  by  Hop  Ching  to 
Hop  Lee  at  that  time  was  paid  in  settlement  of  an 
old  debt  ?  ” 

“  I  don’t  know.” 

“You  don’t  know?”  thundered  Jacobson,  step¬ 
ping  closer  than  ever  to  her.  “  Why,  just  now 


IN  THE  COILS  OF  THE  SERPENT  161 


you  said  that  Hop  Ching  gave  the  money  to  Hop 
Lee  in  payment  for  you.  What  ck>  you  mean?  ” 
Ah  Kum,  who  had  been  getting  paler  and 
paler  under  this  cross-examination,  which,  though 
trifling,  was  too  much  for  an  ignorant,  uneducated 
slave  girl,  now  seemed  suddenly  to  wilt,  and  started 
to  cry.  Catherine  McCormack  trembled;  for  she 
knew  too  well  the  sign  of  a  shattered  morale. 

Ezra  Jacobson,  quick  to  sense  his  advantage, 
hurried  on  to  drive  in  the  wedge  still  further. 

“  Now  you  testified  that  some  time  in  May, 
1921,  you  paid  $300.00  to  Hop  Ching.  Can  you 
tell  me  what  date  that  was  ?  ” 

“  I  don’t  remember.” 

“  Was  it  at  the  beginning  or  the  end  of  the 
month?  ” 

“  I  don’t  remember.” 

“  You  say  you  paid  him  $200.00  in  June,  1921. 
On  what  date  was  that  ?  ” 

“  I  don’t  remember  the  exact  date,  but  it  was 
near  the  end  of  the  month,” 

“You  don’t  remember  that  either?  Well,  do 
you  remember  any  date  on  which  you  paid  him 
any  money  ?  ” 

“  I  never  write  it  down.” 

“  Then  how  do  you  know  how  much  it  was  ?  ” 
“T  can  remember  that  easily  enough.” 

“  Oh,  you  can  remember  that,  can  you,  but  you 
cannot  remember  any  of  the  dates?  Now,  isn’t  it 
a  fact  that  you  never  paid  any  of  this  alleged 


162 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


money  to  Hop  Ching,  and  that  all  this  story  that 
you  have  been  telling  is  simply  told  because  you 
have  a  grudge  against  him  ?  ” 

Ah  Kum,  who  had  been  staring  across  the  court¬ 
room  in  the  direction  of  Hop  Ching,  suddenly  ap¬ 
peared  terror-stricken,  but  made  no  reply  to  the 
question. 

“  Answer  my  question !  ”  Ezra  bellowed.  “  Have 
you  ever  turned  over  any  of  your  earnings  to 
Hop  Ching?  ” 

Ah  Kura’s  answer  came  like  a  thunderbolt  to  all 
of  those  who  were  interested  in  the  prosecution. 

“  No,”  she  said. 

“  Then  all  you  have  said  about  paying  money  to 
Hop  Ching  is  untrue?” 

“  Yes,”  she  replied,  trembling  from  head  to  foot. 

“  And  all  you  have  said  about  Hop  Ching  buying 
you  is  untrue,  is  it  not  ?  ” 

“  Yes.” 

“  If  your  Honour  please,  we  beg  at  this  time  to 
move  that  this  complaint  be  dismissed  on  the  testi¬ 
mony  of  this  witness.” 

For  a  moment  there  was  a  stillness  unbroken, 
save  for  the  sobs  of  Ah  Kum. 

“  I  shall  have  to  dismiss  the  case,”  said  the 
judge,  looking  very  much  as  though  he  profoundly 
wished  it  were  otherwise. 

Little  reference  to  this  incident  was  made  by 
either  Miss  McCormack  or  Miss  Foo  as  they  led 
Ah  Kum  back  to  the  Home,  but  that  night,  un- 


IN  THE  COILS  OF  THE  SERPENT  163 


sought  and  uninvited,  the  little  maid  found  her  way 
to  the  room  of  Miss  McCormack  and  there,  be¬ 
tween  her  sobs,  she  revealed  to  them  the  reason  for 
her  humiliating  collapse  upon  the  witness  stand. 
She  had  wanted  to  tell  the  truth,  she  told  them,  and 
had  tried  to  do  so.  She  had  started  out  alright; 
but  when  Jacobson  commenced  to  brow-beat  her, 
she  lost  her  nerve.  Then,  looking  across  the  court¬ 
room,  she  had  caught  sight  of  the  evil  eye  of  Hop 
Ching,  and  it  had  for  a  moment  held  her  spell¬ 
bound.  As  he  gazed  at  her,  she  recalled  that  his 
father  was  a  Taoist  priest;  and  with  that  thought 
came  the  realization  that  even  at  that  moment  he 
was  in  all  probability  offering  incense  in  his  temple 
on  Spofford  Alley,  and  calling  down  upon  her  the 
wrath  of  all  the  demons  of  the  earth,  the  air  and 
the  water.  From  her  infancy  she  had  been  taught 
to  believe  in  this  legion  of  demons.  They  were 
more  real  to  her  than  God  or  the  devil  is  to  the 
average  American.  She  believed  in  their  power 
to  harm  her,  and  in  the  priest’s  ability  to  invoke 
this  power.  Even  Koon  Yum,  the  Goddess  of 
Mercy,  to  whom  all  women  pray,  would  turn  in 
vengeance  upon  her  if  she  testified  against  this 
son  of  a  priest.  Then,  too,  as  she  looked  at 
Hop  Ching,  there  came  over  her  like  a  flood 
all  the  threats  that  had  been  made  to  her  during 
her  captivity.  She  remembered  that  hundreds 
of  times  it  had  been  said  to  her  that  if  she 
were  ever  rescued,  and  should  testify  against 


164 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


her  former  owner  she  would  be  doomed.  It 
would  be  useless  for  her  to  try  to  escape  the 
power  of  the  Highbinders.  The  Home  could  not 
protect  her  for  ever.  Sooner  or  later  they  would 
get  her. 

As  all  this,  in  a  moment  as  it  were,  swept  over 
her  like  an  avalanche,  her  morale  collapsed,  terror 
took  possession  of  her,  and  Catherine  McCor¬ 
mack’s  star  witness  was  gone. 

Again  the  serpent  had  won. 


X 


RETRIBUTION 


THE  reader  of  this  story  may  be  a  Christian 
or  he  may  be  a  Jew.  He  may  be  a  Mo¬ 
hammedan,  a  Buddhist,  a  Confucianist  or  a 
Brahman — indeed  he  may  be  an  atheist.  But  what¬ 
ever  his  religion,  his  moral  or  ethical  conception, 
or  his  philosophy  of  life,  he  is  pretty  sure  to  have 
some  place  in  his  thinking  for  the  doctrine  of 
retributive  justice. 

A  Christian  will  quote  the  Apostle  Paul : 

“  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth  that  shall  he 
also  reap” 

The  Hebrew  will  say : 

“  The  recompense  of  a  man's  hand  shall  he 
rendered  unto  him.” 

The  Confucianist  will  turn  to  a  little  couplet 
which,  rendered  into  English,  reads: 

“He  who  sows  melons,  melons  shall  receive; 
and  he  who  sows  beans  receive  beans. 

“  So  the  man  who  does  good  is  rewarded  with 
good ;  but  evil  comes  to  him  who  does  evil.” 

The  Buddhst,  turning  to  the  wisdom  of  his  be¬ 
loved  Gautama,  will  say: 


165 


166 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 

“He  who  breedeth  evil  is  punished  by  evil” 


While  the  Moslem  will  turn  the  leaves  of  his 
sacred  Koran  until  he  comes  to  the  passage: 

“Shall  not  the  infidel  be  rewarded  for  the 
evil  which  he  hath  done?” 

And  even  the  atheist  will  probably  make  his  con¬ 
tribution  by  some  such  statement  as, 

"  You  may  be  a  crook,  and  a  smart  one;  but 
sooner  or  later  the  chickens  will  come  home  to 
roost ” 

Ah-peen  Amy  flipped  the  ash  from  the  end  of 
the  cigarette,  and  studied  its  glowing  end. 

Tong  Choy  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  table,  swinging 
his  immaculately  attired  limbs,  his  hands  in  his 
pockets  and  an  expensive  cigar  in  his  mouth. 

“  I  give  you  one  more  week/’  he  said.  “  If  you 
don’t  come  across  by  that  time  I’ll  put  the  ‘  binders  ’ 
on  to  you.” 

Amy  stamped  her  foot,  and  swore  at  him. 

“  I  tell  you  I  can’t  pay  you  for  a  month,  maybe 
two.  I’m  telling  you  the  truth.  I  can’t  give  you 
what  I  haven’t  got.” 

Tong  had  descended  from  his  seat  on  the  table 
by  this  time  and  was  standing  in  the  doorway 
ready  to  leave. 

“  Get  the  money  from  Ching  or  somebody,”  he 
said  hotly,  “  I  don’t  care  where  you  get  it ;  but 


RETRIBUTION 


167 


have  it  ready  for  me  when  I  call  next  week  or 
you’ll  wish  you  had.” 

He  turned  and  left  the  room,  let  himself  out  of 
the  front  door,  stepped  into  his  handsome  car  and 
drove  away. 

Since  the  death  of  Lum  Ming,  Tong  Choy  had 
been  supplying  Ah-peen  Amy  with  her  opium. 

During  the  past  three  months  ^he  had  supplied 
her  with  $10,000  worth,  and  she  still  owed  him 
$2,000  on  account. 

Since  Ah  Kum’s  rescue  things  had  not  gone  well 
with  Amy. 

In  the  first  place,  Hop  Ching  had  from  the  be¬ 
ginning  insisted  that  all  of  Ah  Kum’s  earnings 
should  be  paid  to  him  until  his  part  of  the  invest¬ 
ment  had  been  returned.  Thus,  up  to  the  time  of 
the  rescue,  Amy  had  not  gotten  a  single  dollar  out 
of  her  $2,000  investment. 

With  the  rescue  of  Ah  Kum,  Amy’s  savings 
disappeared. 

Then,  too,  the  life  was  telling  on  her.  Ten  years 
had  left  its  mark ;  she  was  no  longer  young.  Her 
health  was  breaking  and  she  was  sick  of  the  whole 
business.  She  wanted  to  quit ;  but  how  could  she  ? 
She  still  owed  Hop  Ching  several  thousand  dollars, 
and  there  were  other  outstanding  debts.  In  order 
to  free  herself  from  Hop  Ching  she  had  used  the 
money  she  had  made  in  peddling  Tong  Choy’s 
opium,  together  with  $2,000  that  should  have 
gone  to  Tong  Choy.  Tong  had  become  sus- 


168 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


picious  when  she  had  asked  for  more  opium  before 
she  paid  for  the  other;  and  was  now  pressing  her 
for  his  money. 

After  Tong  left,  she  refreshed  herself  with  a 
glass  of  ng  gaa  pay  and  lit  another  cigarette. 
While  she  brooded  and  smoked,  she  suddenly  be¬ 
came  aware  of  voices  talking  softly  in  the  next 
room,  and  heard  herself  referred  to.  She  listened, 
and  as  she  did  so,  turned  pale. 

Hop  Ching  was  talking  to  another  man  whose 
voice  she  did  not  recognize ;  and  was  actually  plan¬ 
ning  to  sell  her.  After  she  had  worked  for  him  all 
these  years,  and  had,  at  a  tremendous  price,  pur¬ 
chased  her  freedom;  having  paid  over  to  him  many 
times  every  dollar  he  had  paid  for  her  or  spent  on 
her,  Hop  Ching,  instead  of  giving  her  her  freedom, 
was  now  planning  to  sell  her  to  another.  $3,000 
was  the  price  that  the  other  man  was  agreeing  to 
pay  for  her.  Hop  Ching  was  going  to  make 
$3,000  in  addition  to  all  the  other  money  he  had 
already  made  out  of  her. 

This,  on  top  of  Tong  Choy’s  threat,  was  more 
than  Amy  could  stand.  With  a  snarl  of  a  savage 
tiger  she  burst  in  upon  the  conspiracy,  cursing  Hop 
Ching,  stamping  with  rage,  and  hurling  at  him  all 
the  vile  epithets  she  could  think  of. 

Hop  Ching  reached  for  the  teapot,  which  was 
on  the  table,  poured  out  a  cup  of  tea,  and  threw  it 
in  her  face. 

She  spat  at  him. 


RETRIBUTION 


169 


With  a  curse  and  a  well-directed  blow  of  his 
fist  he  knocked  her  down  and  kicked  her  as  she 
fell. 

Scrambling  to  her  feet  she  picked  up  a  heavy 
brass  cuspidor,  with  her  two  hands  raised  it  above 
her  head,  and  was  about  to  hurl  it  at  him  when 
Hop  Ching  whipped  out  a  revolver  and  threatened 
to  kill  her. 

She  dropped  the  cuspidor,  and  backed  away  from 
him. 

“  T’iu  naa  maa,  k’ai  t’ai,”  snarled  Hop,  “  listen 
to  what  I  tell  you.  I  have  sold  you  to  Fong  Duck. 
This,”  indicating  him  with  a  nod  of  the  head,  “  is 
your  new  master.  Tomorrow,  maybe  the  next  day, 
you  go  with  him  to  Stockton.” 

Furious  as  Amy  was,  she  did  not  forget  that 
from  such  men  little  was  to  be  gotten  by  rebellion 
and  violence;  but  much  was  sometimes  gained  by 
wiles  and  cunning. 

She  became  docile;  picked  up  the  overturned 
cuspidor,  set  it  in  its  place,  and  left  the  room. 

In  the  next  room  her  brain  began  to  work 
swiftly.  She  must  think  up  some  plan  of  escape 
and  think  quickly ;  but  what  could  she  do  ?  She  had 
no  money,  and  even  her  jewelry,  much  of  which 
was  not  yet  paid  for,  she  had  pawned  in  her  effort 
to  pay  off  Hop  Ching  and  gain  her  freedom. 

To  whom  could  she  turn?  Jue  Yat  was  angry 
with  her  over  the  loss  of  Ah  Mae.  He  would  not 
help  her.  hum  Ming  was  dead;  and  Tong  Choy, 


170 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


who  had  taken  Lum’s  place,  was  already  threaten¬ 
ing  her. 

She  was  doomed.  Doomed  to  spend  the  rest  of 
her  life  in  slavery;  for  at  her  age,  and  with  the 
charm  of  youth  gone,  she  could  not  hope  to  ever 
make  enough  money  to  buy  her  freedom  from  this 
new  master. 

She  who  had  bought  and  sold  others  was  again 
being  bought  and  sold. 

She  could  not  appeal  to  the  police  for  protection, 
for  her  enemies  could  bring  charges  against  her 
that  would  put  her  behind  the  bars  for  the  rest  of 
her  life. 

Like  a  caged  beast  she  walked  the  floor.  Beads 
of  perspiration  stood  out  upon  her  forehead.  She 
heard  the  two  men  go  out.  She  wanted  to  flee ;  but 
where  could  she  go.  She  was  known  to  all  China¬ 
town.  She  threw  herself  upon  the  bed  and  became 
absorbed  in  thought. 

There  was  one  chance  of  escape,  the  thought  had 
just  occurred  to  her;  but  she  scorned  to  avail  her¬ 
self  of  aid  from  such  a  source.  Yet  in  her  ex¬ 
tremity  she  was  ready  to  do  almost  anything. 
Yes,  there  was  a  door  of  escape;  but  what  if  this 
door,  because  of  her  past  life,  should  be  slammed 
in  her  face.  She  remembered  to  have  heard  that  it 
was  never  closed  on  any  who  sought  its  protection. 
She  would  take  the  chance.  She  stepped  to  the 
telephone,  got  the  China  Exchange  and  asked  to 
speak  with  Low  Choy. 


RETRIBUTION 


171 


Low  Choy  was  a  well  known  character  in  China¬ 
town.  For  thirty  years  he  had  been  collector  for 
the  telephone  company;  which  means  that  for  ten 
years  he  had  called  every  month  at  Amy’s  place  to 
collect  telephone  dues. 

As  the  name  implies,  he  was  a  kinsman  of  Amy 
Low,  and  furthermore  he  had  in  the  past  often 
been  a  friend  to  her.  He  came  at  once  in  response 
to  her  summons,  and  she  told  him  the  story  of  her 
predicament. 

She  could  not  write — few  slave  girls  can — but 
she  dictated  to  him  a  note  which  he  took,  and 
promised  to  deliver  as  directed. 

The  next  morning,  at  the  hour  given  by  Amy  in 
her  letter,  a  time  when  she  knew  Hop  Ching  would 
not  be  there,  Catherine  McCormack  appeared,  ac¬ 
companied  by  her  interpreter  and  a  police  officer. 
Amy  herself  opened  the  door  to  them,  and  the 
women  were  overcome  with  astonishment  when 
they  found  that  it  was  she. 

The  letter,  translated  into  English,  had  read : 

Miss  McCormack: 

For  many  years  I  have  heard  of  the  work  you 
do  for  Chinese  girls.  I  have  been  a  bad 
woman,  but  my  owner  is  going  to  sell  me  to 
another  man.  I  want  to  give  up  this  life,  it  is 
too  bitter.  Please  come  to  730  Commercial 
Street  and  get  me  to-morrow  morning  at  eight 
o’clock.  He  will  not  be  here  then. 

Chan  Shee. 

Since  the  Ah  Kum  affair  Amy  had  changed  her 


172 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


residence,  and  to  the  letter  she  had  signed  a  ficti¬ 
tious  name.  Catherine  McCormack,  therefore,  had 
not  dreamed  that  she  was  coming  to  rescue  the 
notorious  Ah-peen  Amy.  The  brazenness  of  the 
thing  nearly  took  her  breath  away;  but  she  was 
not  the  kind  of  a  woman  to  be  vindictive.  The 
door  of  her  Home  was  ever  open  to  all  who  came 
in  sincerity. 

She  would  give  this  woman  a  chance. 

Later  in  the  day  she  listened  to  the  story  of  this 
woman  who  had  been  so  notorious  a  figure  in 
Chinatown’s  underworld.  Parts  of  it  she  had  heard 
before,  but  the  most  of  it  she  heard  then  for  the 
first  time. 

“  The  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard,”  said 
Catherine  McCormack  to  herself,  as  Amy  came  to 
the  end  of  her  story.  But  she  did  not  need  to  say 
so  to  Amy.  Neither  does  she  need  to  say  so  to  her 
today  as  she  sits  at  the  loom  working  hard  to  pay 
off  her  debts,  which  are  many.  For  while  Tong 
Choy’s  two  thousand  dollars  represented  illicit 
traffic  and  could  not  be  collected,  there  are  other 
legitimate  debts,  which  must  be  paid. 

The  year  following  his  return  to  the  United 
States  from  China  had  been  a  profitable  one  to 
Lee  Wing.  We  have  already  seen  how,  after  leav¬ 
ing  Ah  Mae  with  Jue  Yat,  he  made  for  his  home 
in  the  Sacramento  Valley  with  fifteen  hundred  dob 
lars  of  Jue  Yat’s  money  in  his  pockets. 


RETRIBUTION 


178 


We  saw  him  return  to  his  ranch  and  his  Lena. 

But  this  little  ranch  was  only  a  side  issue  with 
Lee,  a  sort  of  diversion,  and  a  very  convenient 
place  to  retire  to  at  times.  His  main  business  in 
life  was  the  operation  of  the  Chan  Faai  Lok  (True 
Happiness),  a  large  gambling  house  in  Sacra¬ 
mento’s  Chinatown.  In  addition  to  this  little  gold 
mine,  Lee  had,  soon  after  his  return,  opened  two 
more  such  houses  in  Sacramento  Valiev  towns. 

These  three  houses  became  the  source  of  an  enor¬ 
mous  revenue  to  Lee  Wing.  And  yet  he  was 
unable  to  amass  so  large  a  fortune  as  one  might 
suppose ;  for  Lena  had  turned  out  to  be  as  extrava¬ 
gant  as  she  was  beautiful;  and  seemed  to  be  trying 
to  spend  the  money  as  fast  as  Lee  could  make  it. 
Then,  too,  during  the  long  Tong  War,  the  police, 
under  the  pretense  of  looking  for  binders,  had 
raided  his  place  quite  frequently,  and  each  time  Lee 
Wing  had  been  required  to  “  come  across.”  Fur¬ 
thermore,  Lee  was  a  member  of  the  Sing  Dong 
Tong  and  had  been  called  upon  to  pay  heavy  dues 
to  help  finance  the  war.  And  so,  although  Lee 
Wing  and  his  underlings  had  literally  raked  in  the 
shekels  over  his  gaming  tables,  he  had  not  laid  by 
any  fabulous  amount. 

On  a  certain  morning  there  appeared  in  the  col¬ 
umns  of  the  three  leading  Chinese  dailies  in  Cali¬ 
fornia,  an  official  notice  issued  by  the  Sing  Dong 
Tong  to  the  effect  that  war  between  them  and  the 
Suey  Duns  was  over;  and  that  all  members  were 


174 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


thereby  commanded  to  cease  fighting,  put  away 
their  arms,  and  live  in  peace. 

The  very  idea  of  such  a  notice  published  by  such 
an  organization  in  a  public  newspaper  on  American 
soil  is  so  absurd  as  to  be  laughable  to  the  average 
American;  but  to  the  members  of  the  Sing  Dong 
Tong  it  had  more  weight  than  if  it  had  been  issued 
by  the  United  States  Government. 

But  now  that  the  war  was  over,  there  were,  as 
in  all  wars,  heavy  financial  liabilities  to  be  met. 
Highbinders,  legal  advisors  and  defenders  remained 
to  be  paid;  and  the  treasury  of  the  Tong  was  prac¬ 
tically  exhausted.  From  some  source  or  other 
more  funds  must  be  secured. 

A  meeting  of  the  officials  of  the  Sing  Dong  Tong 
was  held,  at  which  it  was  decided  that  the  sum  of 
$300,000.00  must  be  raised  at  once.  It  was  hope¬ 
less  to  try  to  raise  such  an  amount  by  small  taxation 
of  the  membership;  such  a  taxation  would  be  im¬ 
posed,  but  that  would  only  cover  part.  It  was 
decided  that  several  wealthy  men  should  be  asked  to 
contribute  large  sums ;  and  the  committee  took  up 
the  task  of  selecting  the  victims. 

Now  Lee  Wing  had  paid  his  regular  war-time 
dues  like  every  other  member  of  the  Tong,  but  he 
had  not  in  any  other  way  actively  participated  in 
the  contest.  Furthermore,  it  was  known  that  he 
had  made  a  great  deal  of  money  in  the  last  year 
and  a  half. 

It  was  Jue  Yat  who  called  the  attention  of  the 


RETRIBUTION 


175 


committee  to  these  facts.  Jue  had  never  forgiven 
Lee  for  the  trouble  which  he  felt  Lee  had  brought 
upon  him  in  bringing  Ah  Mae  to  his  home;  and 
cunningly  he  suggested  to  his  confreres  that  really 
Lee  was  the  cause  of  the  war,  in  that  he  had 
brought  such  a  stubborn  and  troublesome  girl  into 
their  midst. 

A  committee  was  sent  up  to  Sacramento,  and 
Lee  Wing  was  asked  to  meet  them  at  the  Sing 
Dong  headquarters  in  that  city. 

Lee  came,  driven  by  his  Chinese  chauffeur  in  a 
handsome  car,  immaculately  dressed  and  sporting 
a  solitaire  of  immense  proportions. 

The  purpose  of  the  meeting  was  explained  to 
him.  He  was  informed  that  he  had  been  honoured 
by  the  Brotherhood  in  being  selected  as  one  of  the 
few  “  big  men  ”  upon  whom  they  were  relying  to 
save  the  Tong  from  bankruptcy. 

Flattered  by  these  remarks,  he  expressed  himself 
as  desiring  to  do  everything  in  his  power  to  save 
the  good  name  of  the  Tong. 

“  Of  course,”  said  the  spokesman  for  the  com¬ 
mittee.  “  We  were  sure  that  you  would  want  to 
help  in  this  most  important  matter,  and,  therefore, 
Brother  Lee,  knowing  of  your  prosperity,  and  of 
your  reputation  as  a  rich  and  generous  man,  as 
well  as  a  faithful  Sing  Dong  Brother,  we  are 
asking  you  to  contribute  to  this  cause  the  sum  of 
fifty  thousand  dollars.” 

Lee  Wing  gasped.  Fifty  thousand  dollars  was 


176 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


more  ready  cash  than  he  possessed  in  the  world. 
To  be  sure  he  had  the  ranch  and  his  gambling 
houses;  but  of  course  the  Brotherhood  did  not 
expect  him  to  sell  these. 

“  Come,  Brother  Lee,”  said  one  of  them  in 
forced  jocularity.  “  You  have  had  a  very  pros¬ 
perous  year,  and  surely  you  have  been  able  to 
put  aside  many  times  more  than  we  are  asking 
for.” 

In  vain  Lee  expostulated  with  them  about  his 
extravagant  wife,  the  frequent  raids  upon  the 
premises  by  the  police,  and  the  “  hush  money  ”  that 
he  had  been  forced  to  pay.  They  were  obdurate, 
and  insisted  that  he  could  well  afford  to  make  this 
contribution. 

Then  Lee  became  angry.  He  told  them  that  he 
would  not  pay  what  they  asked;  that  ten  thousand 
dollars  was  the  most  he  could  or  would  give,  and 
when  they  were  still  insistent  he  cursed  them  and 
rose  to  go. 

But  he  had  reckoned  without  his  host. 

“  The  door  is  locked,”  said  the  spokesman  of  the 
party.  And  then  two  of  the  men  present,  who  so 
far  had  not  spoken  a  word,  took  from  their  pockets 
ugly-looking  revolvers,  and  commenced  to  fondle 
them. 

It  had  not  occurred  to  Lee  that  “  binders  ”  were 
right  there  in  the  room.  They  were  San  Fran¬ 
cisco  “  binders  ”  whom  he  did  not  know. 

He  turned  pale. 


RETRIBUTION 


177 


“  How  can  I  give  you  what  I  do  not  possess?  ” 
he  whined. 

“  Brother  Lee  will  find  a  way,”  retorted  the 
spokesman.  “  Perhaps  it  will  surprise  you  to 
know  that  even  now  “  binders  ”  are  at  your  ranch 
house,  being  entertained  by  your  wife.  A  word 
from  us,  over  the  telephone,  and  she  will  not  live 
to  welcome  her  honourable  husband  tonight.” 

Lee  realized  that  he  was  the  victim  of  a  carefully 
laid  and  skillfully  carried  out  plot.  Why  had  he 
come  there?  Why  had  he  not  guessed  that  there 
was  treachery  on  foot?  He  had  been  a  Tongman 
long  enough,  and  participated  in  such  plots  often 
enough.  There  was  apparently  no  way  out;  but 
his  crafty  brain  was  working. 

“  Give  me  three  days,”  he  said.  “  I  will  pay 
what  you  ask.”  But  even  while  he  spoke  he  was 
figuring  out  how  he  could  yet  beat  them  at  their 
own  crooked  game. 

The  Tongmen  looked  at  each  other  significantly. 

“  Alright,”  said  their  leader.  “  Fifty  thousand 
dollars  three  days  from  today  at  noon,  or  Lee  Wing 
will  not  live  to  win  any  more  American  gold.  And 
remember  that  the  arm  of  the  Tong  is  long.” 

Sullen  without,  but  boiling  and  raging  within, 
Lee  left  their  presence. 

Outside  his  car  stood  where  he  had  left  it,  but 
his  chauffeur  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

Uttering  a  quiet  oath,  Lee  stepped  into  his  car, 
took  the  wheel  himself  and  drove  away. 


178 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


He  had  not  gone  more  than  a  block,  however, 
before  he  found  that  he  was  nearly  out  of  gaso¬ 
line.  He  must  stop  at  the  next  filling  station ;  and 
that  meant  still  further  delay. 

As  he  drove  at  moderate  speed  over  those  miles 
of  highway— -at  moderate  speed  because  he  was  not 
himself  an  experienced  driver — his  mind  was  work¬ 
ing  out  a  scheme  whereby  he  could  even  yet  get  the 
better  of  these  extortionists;  and  when  at  length 
he  turned  in  at  his  driveway  he  was  grinning  to 
himself  as  he  contemplated  the  little  plot  which 
was  about  perfected  in  his  mind. 

But  what  did  he  find?  His  home  deserted! 

On  the  table  lay  a  note  in  Chinese  informing  him 
that  as  a  guarantee  that  the  money  would  be  paid 
promptly  his  wife  would  be  held  a  hostage  until 
the  account  had  been  settled.  It  would  be  useless 
for  him  to  try  to  find  her,  for  she  would  be  many 
miles  away  and  en  route  for  a  far  distant  city  by 
the  time  he  received  this.  He  cursed,  as  the  sig¬ 
nificance  of  the  missing  chauffeur,  and  the  empty 
gasoline  tank  dawned  on  him. 

Thus  Lee  Wing,  Tongman,  gambler  and  dealer 
in  human  life,  a  victim  of  the  system  he  had 
helped  to  promote,  outwitted  by  those  he  had 
thought  to  outwit,  was  brought  to  time;  fifty 
thousand  dollars  found  its  way  into  the  treasury 
of  the  Sing  Dong  Tong;  but  Lena,  unwilling  to 
return  to  an  impoverished  husband,  went  to  live 
with  her  father  until  such  time  as  Lee  Wing 


RETRIBUTION 


179 


would  be  able  to  support  her  in  the  style  she  was 
accustomed  to. 

Jue  Yat’s  oldest  girl,  Jue  Laan,  or  Minnie  Jue, 
to  use  her  American  name,  was  a  pretty  but  de¬ 
cidedly  wayward  child.  For  a  Chinese  girl  she 
had  an  abnormal  hankering  after  the  opposite  sex, 
with  an  unaccountable  preference  for  men  a  great 
deal  older  than  herself. 

By  the  time  she  was  fourteen  her  mother  had 
completely  lost  control  of  her,  while  her  father, 
who  had  always  left  the  training  of  the  children 
to  his  ignorant  old  wife,  was  either  too  busy  to 
listen  to  her  reports  of  the  child’s  conduct  or  too 
indifferent  to  care  about  it.  When  Minnie  gradu¬ 
ated  from  grammar  school  she  decided  she  had  all 
the  education  she  cared  for,  and  calmly  informed 
her  parents  of  the  fact.  Her  good  looks  and  coy 
personality  readily  secured  for  her  a  position  in 
the  Tien  Tsin  Bazaar,  where,  daintily  gowned  and 
immaculately  groomed,  whether  useful  or  not  she 
was  highly  ornamental,  and  soon  became  a  promi¬ 
nent  figure. 

This  just  suited  Minnie,  for  she  loved  to  be 
popular  and  prominent;  and  was  never  so  happy 
as  when  displaying  goods,  and  enlarging  upon  their 
excellence  to  American  men  and  women  who  made 
no  effort  to  disguise  the  fact  that  they  were  more 
interested  in  her  than  in  her  wares. 

Her  social  life  she  found  mainly  in  the  activities 


180 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


of  the  Little  Sing  Society,  an  orgazination  devoted 
solely  to  “  a  good  time,”  and  the  members  of  which 
were  mostly  sons  and  daughters  of  members  of  the 
Sing  Dong  Tong.  It  was  the  proud  boast  of  this 
Society  that  its  members  went  “  all  the  gaits  ” ;  and 
in  this  respect  Minnie  proved  herself  to  be  equal  to 
the  best  of  them. 

Before  she  was  sixteen  years  old  she  was  a 
proficient  jazz  dancer,  a  devotee  of  “  parking,” 
“  cheek  to  cheek/’  and  other  outlawed  forms  of  the 
Terpsichorean  art ;  could  play  with  skill  most  of  the 
Chinese  gambling  games,  and  had  the  alleged  dis¬ 
tinction  of  being  able  to  carry  successfully  more 
ng  gaa  pay  than  any  other  girl  or  boy  of  her  age; 
and  of  having  kissed,  and  been  kissed  by,  more  men 
than  any  other  girl  in  the  Little  Sings. 

Just  how  much  of  all  this  was  known  to  Jue  Yat 
is  an  open  question.  It  is  not  at  all  likely  that  he 
was  in  entire  ignorance  of  it,  but  whatever  he 
knew  he  cared  little. 

And  then  the  blow  fell. 

One  evening  when  he  returned  home,  he  found 
his  wife  in  hysterical  tears,  wringing  her  hands  and 
tearing  her  hair  as  she  walked  the  floor.  Catching 
sight  of  him  she  let  herself  go  in  a  loud  and 
violent  tirade  after  the  manner  in  which  Chinese 
women  are  wont  to  recite  their  woes.  Standing 
there  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  her  face  almost 
purple  with  the  exertion,  she  literally  screamed  out 
the  story  of  the  family’s  abject  disgrace;  the  great- 


RETRIBUTION 


181 


est  possible  disgrace  than  can  befall  a  Chinese 
home;  a  calamity  so  awful  that  when  it  occurs  it 
not  uncommonly  leads  to  the  suicide  of  the  mother. 

Minnie,  the  object  of  her  mother’s  wrath,  sat  in 
a  corner  of  the  room,  sullen  and  cowed. 

Jue  Yat  stood  speechless  until  his  wife,  from 
sheer  exhaustion,  paused  in  her  tirade;  and  then 
this  man  who  had  been  so  harsh  with  the  child  of 
another  softened  as  he  gazed  upon  his  own  child 
in  disgrace. 

Crossing  the  room  to  where  she  was,  he  said  in 
a  trembling  voice :  “  My  little  girl,  tell  me  who  this 
man  is  who  has  wronged  you  and  disgraced  my 
name,  so  that  I  may  kill  him  with  my  own  hand 
before  I  sleep  tonight.” 

Minnie  stamped  her  foot  and  shook  her  mass  of 
bobbed  hair.  “  He  is  no  worse  than  you,”  she 
snapped. 

It  was  now  Jue  Yat’s  turn  to  shrink. 

So  this  child,  unsophisticated  as  he  had  thought 
her  to  be  when  he  had  toyed  with  Ah  Mae,  knew 
and  understood. 

“  T’iu  naa  maa,”  screamed  her  mother.  “  How 
dare  you  answer  your  honourable  father  in  such 
a  manner?  ” 

“  Tell  me  who  he  is  that  I  may  kill  him,”  re¬ 
peated  the  father  grimly. 

Minnie  laughed  defiantly.  “  You  cannot  kill 
him  for  he  is  more  powerful  than  you.” 

Jue  turned  pale.  What  could  the  child  mean? 


182 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


Jue  Yat  was  himself  Secretary  of  the  most  pow¬ 
erful  and  bloody  fighting  Tong  in  America.  There 
was,  according  to  his  conception,  only  one  man 
who  was  more  powerful  than  he.  That  one  man 
was  the  Exalted  Master  of  the  Sing  Dong  Tong. 
But  this  child  could  not  possibly  mean  him,  for  he 
was  old  enough  to  be  her  father.  And  yet,  as  the 
thought  flashed  into  his  mind  it  was  followed 
rapidly  by  certain  recollections.  Had  he  not  no¬ 
ticed  many  times  that  this  man  took  a  particular 
interest  in  his  daughter?  Had  he  not,  with  his 
own  eyes,  seen  him  engage  in  many  little  familiari¬ 
ties  with  her,  and  laughed  at  them?  Had  he  not 
heard  that  under  the  pretense  of  chaperonage  this 
man  attended  many  of  the  parties  given  by  the 
Tittle  Sing  Society?  Why  had  he  been  so  stupid 
and  slow? 

“  Tell  me,”  he  said  in  a  hoarse  whisper,  “  is  it 
Chin  Chuk  Nom?  ” 

The  child  made  no  reply  but  hung  her  head. 

“  Answer  me,”  he  roared.  “  For  by  all  the  gods 
of  the  earth,  the  air  and  the  water,  I  will  kill  this 
man  no  matter  who  he  is.” 

“  You  cannot  harm  him,  I  tell  you,  for  he  is 
more  powerful  than  you.  But  if  you  should  kill 
him,”  she  added,  “  I  would  kill  myself,  for — I 
love  him.” 

“  You  love  him?  ”  roared  her  father.  “  Him,  a 
married  man  with  a  large  family?  ” 

“Why  not?”  the  child  flashed  back  at  him. 


RETRIBUTION 


183 


“  You  wanted  Ah  Mae  to  love  you,  didn’t 
you?  ” 

“  The  gods  destroy  you,”  screamed  the  mother, 
“  as  they  destroy  all  those  who  lift  up  their  voices 
against  their  parents.  Is  it  not  enough  that  you 
have  brought  disgrace  upon  your  honourable 
father,  that  you  must  now  upbraid  him  with  your 
vile,  impudent  tongue?  Who  appointed  you  to  be 
the  judge  of  your  father?  May  thunder  from  a 
thousand  directions  annihilate  you.  Look!  Look 
upon  your  father  and  behold  the  grey  hairs  of 
honourable  old  age,  and  the  head  upon  which  you 
have  brought  this  great  shame — 

But  Jue  Yat  was  gone. 

“  No,  the  honourable  Chin  Chuk  Nom  is  not 
here,”  smilingly  replied  Der  Wing,  his  secretary. 
“  Is  there  anything  that  Secretary  Jue  Yat  desires? 
Perhaps  I  can  do  something  for  him?  ” 

“  I  must  see  Chin,”  said  Jue,  nervously. 

A  significant  expression  passed  over  Der  Wing’s 
face.  It  was  not  usual  for  even  Jue  Yat  to  speak 
of  the  Exalted  Master  as  Chin. 

“  Is  it  a  matter  of  great  importance?  ”  he  asked, 
seriously. 

“  So  important  that  I  must  see  him  tonight.  If 
he  is  not  here,  I  must  go  to  his  home.” 

“  Wait  a  minute,”  said  the  secretary,  “  I  will 
telephone  and  find  if  he  is  there.” 

Der  Wing  retired  to  an  inner  room,  and  in  a 


184 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


few  minutes  returned  to  say  that  Chin  Chuk 
Nom  was  not  at  his  home,  and  would  not  be  until 
morning. 

When  Jue  Yat  returned  the  next  day  he  was 
greeted  as  before  by  Der  Wing,  and  ushered  into 
Chin’s  private  office. 

No,  Chin  Chuk  Nom  was  not  there.  He  had 
been  in  and  had  been  told  of  Jue  Yat’s  desire  to 
see  him.  He  had  therefore  left  instructions  that 
his  secretary  should  attend  to  any  business  Jue 
Yat  had. 

“  You  cannot  attend  to  this,”  said  Jue,  as  he 
nervously  fingered  the  revolver  which  reposed  in 
his  overcoat  pocket. 

The  secretary  regarded  him  intently,  then  com¬ 
ing  closer,  he  said  quietly,  “Is  it  something  about 
your  charming  daughter  ?  ” 

Jue  Yat  turned  on  him. 

“  Why  should  I  come  to  see  Chin  about  my 
child  ?  ”  he  snapped. 

“  The  honourable  Jue  Yat  is  unnecessarily 
angry,”  said  Der  Wing  in  mock  humility,  “  I  did 
not  know  that  there  was  any  secret  about  the  love 
affair  of  our  Exalted  Master  and  the  beautiful  lit¬ 
tle  Ah  Laan.” 

“  T’iu  naa  maa  k’ai  t’ai,”  exclaimed  the  infuri¬ 
ated  Jue,  thrusting  his  hand  again  into  his  over¬ 
coat  pocket.  “  I  will  kill  you  if  you  speak  of  such 
things.” 

Der  Wing  gave  a  little  whistle.  The  door  on  the 


RETRIBUTION 


185 


farther  side  of  the  office  opened  and  two  young 
highbinders  strolled  in. 

“  I  think  our  worthy  Secretary  has  some¬ 
thing  in  his  pocket  that  only  highbinders  should 
carry,”  he  said  with  a  sneer.  “  Take  it  from 
him.” 

Before  Jue  Yat  realized  what  was  happening, 
one  of  the  highbinders  held  him  securely,  while  the 
other  relieved  him  of  his  weapon. 

Der  Wing  signalled  to  them  to  retire. 

“And  now,  Brother  Jue,  we  may  as  well  talk 
business,”  he  said.  “  The  honourable  Chin  guessed 
why  you  came  to  see  him  last  night,  for  he  had 
already  had  a  conversation  with  your  daughter  that 
afternoon  and  advised  her  to  inform  her  mother 
of  their  mutual  affection  and  desire.  For  this 
reason  he  was  absent  when  you  called,  and  for  the 
same  reason  he  is  absent  today.  Knowing  well  that 
the  honourable  Jue  is  of  a  quick  temper  and  in¬ 
clined  to  commit  rash  acts  before  thinking  of  the 
consequences,  he  has  informed  me  of  the  whole 
matter  and  instructed  me  to  arrange  a  settlement 
with  you.” 

“  There  is  but  one  settlement  for  what  Chin  has 
done,  and  that  is  death.” 

“  But  you  cannot  kill  our  Exalted  Master,”  re¬ 
plied  Der  Wing  with  a  crafty  smile.  “  You  are 
yourself  a  high  official  of  our  brotherhood,  and  you 
know  that  our  Master  is  well  protected ;  and  should 
you  become  too  persistent  in  your  efforts  to 


186 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


destroy  him,  the  Brotherhood  would  itself  decree 
that  you  be  put  out  of  the  way.” 

Jue  Yat  swore  a  terrible  oath.  “  The  Brother¬ 
hood  should  itself  decree  that  Chin  Chuk  Nom  be 
slain,  for  does  not  our  law  say  ‘  He  who  betrays 
the  wife,  the  daughter  or  the  sister  of  another 
brother  shall  be  punished  with  death  ’ ;  and  does 
not  the  law  of  our  own  Beloved  China  make  the 
offence  of  which  Chin  Chuk  Nom  is  guilty  punish¬ 
able  with  death  ?  ” 

“  Be  reasonable,  Brother  Jue,”  said  the  suave 
Der  Wing.  “  The  Honourable  Chin  loves  the  fair 
Ah  Lann,  and  his  love  is  returned.  Why  interfere 
with  such  benign  arrangements  of  heaven?  Our 
worthy  ruler  is  willing  to  take  your  child  to  be  his 
chief  concubine,  and  to  pay  you  the  handsome 
recompense  of  three  thousand  dollars.  You  are 
indeed  a  fortunate  and  highly  honoured  father.” 

Jue  exploded. 

“  Three  thousand  dollars  for  my  child !  May 
his  whole  household  be  wiped  from  the  face  of  the 
earth!  Has  he  not  wronged  me  enough  that  he 
must  now  insult  me  by  offering  me  so  small  a 
sum  ?  ” 

“  For  so  young  a  child  $3,000.00  is  sufficient,” 
replied  Der  Wing. 

Jue  Yat  was  silent  for  a  moment.  Perhaps  he 
was  thinking  of  the  time  he  had  argued  with  Lee 
Wing  over  the  price  he  was  to  pay  for  Ah  Mae. 

At  length,  as  though  dazed,  he  turned  to  leave. 


RETRIBUTION 


187 


“  Three  thousand  dollars!  ”  he  said.  “  What  is 
$3,000.00  to  me  when  this  great  disgrace  has  fallen 
upon  my  name?  The  gods  must  be  angry  with 
me.  Certainly  the  gods  must  be  against  me !  ” 

But  Jue  Yat  was  yet  to  drink  still  deeper  of  the 
cup  of  retribution. 

Upon  his  return,  as  he  opened  the  door  of  his 
apartment,  he  found  his  three  youngest  children 
crying.  Minnie  lay  dead  in  a  pool  of  blood,  a 
blood-stained  hatchet  nearby;  and  from  the  tran¬ 
som  of  the  kitchen  door  hung  the  lifeless  body  of 
his  wife. 

Mrs.  Jue  had  taken  the  course  common  to 
heathen  Chinese  mothers  under  such  circumstances. 

On  the  northwest  shore  of  San  Francisco  Bay, 
situated  upon  a  bold  promontory,  midway  between 
the  Coves  of  San  Clemente  and  San  Rafael,  and 
under  the  shadow  of  Mt.  Tamalpais,  where  rough 
breezes  carry  in  chilly  fog  banks  from  the  ocean, 
and  a  salty  tang  is  ever  in  the  air,  stand  the  gaunt 
and  imposing  buildings  of  San  Quentin,  Cali¬ 
fornia’s  State  prison. 

On  a  chilly,  gray,  September  morning,  thirteen 
men  met  at  the  gates  of  the  prison,  and  entered  the 
room  of  the  Captain  of  the  Guard,  where  they 
signed  the  register.  They  were  then  escorted  by 
the  Warden  through  the  high  gates  and  across  the 
great  courtyard,  once  so  bleak  but  now  transformed 
into  an  inviting  flower  garden,  artistically  laid  out 


188 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


and  abundantly  stocked  with  choice  specimens  of 
every  variety— -the  work  of  the  prisoners. 

The  place  is  never  noisy;  but  on  this  particular 
occasion  an  uncanny  hush  prevailed.  Nobody 
seemed  inclined  to  talk;  and  as  they  ascended  the 
long  flight  of  stairs  leading  to  the  top  floor  of  the 
sash  and  blind  factory,  the  tramp  and  scuff  of  their 
feet  was  the  only  sound  audible. 

In  a  room  at  the  west  end  of  the  top  floor  of  this 
building  they  came  to  a  halt  before  heavy  doors. 
Here  they  were  detained  for  fifteen  minutes.  It 
was  a  long  fifteen  minutes.  The  men  said  but  little 
to  each  other ;  whatever  remarks  passed  were  com¬ 
monplace  and  uttered  in  low  tones.  One  man  tried 
to  be  funny.  Nobody  laughed. 

Then  there  was  the  sound  of  the  drawing  of  a 
bolt  and  the  iron  doors  swung  open. 

“  This  way,  Gentlemen,  please,”  said  the  Warden 
quietly.  The  thirteen  men  filed  into  the  death 
chamber. 

In  the  center  of  the  chamber  stood  the  scaffold. 
There  was  nothing  else  in  the  room.  The  prison 
physician  was  stationed  beneath  it,  his  watch  in  his 
hand,  a  stethoscope  hanging  from  his  ears,  and  a 
trusty  at  his  side.  The  thirteen  witnesses  stood  in 
a  group  at  the  side  of  the  scaffold. 

In  the  case  of  the  people  against  Mar  Chet  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  California  had  up¬ 
held  the  decision  of  the  Superior  Court. 

The  sentence  stood  unaltered. 


RETRIBUTION 


189 


The  Suey  Ying  Tong  had  spent  thousands  of  dol¬ 
lars  in  an  attempt  to  save  Mar  Chet’s  neck  and 
their  own  face  and  prestige.  A  determined  and 
well  organized  effort  had  been  made  to  persuade 
the  Governor  to  commute  the  sentence  to  that  of 
life  imprisonment ;  but  all  their  efforts  had  failed. 

For  once  the  people  of  California  had  won  in 
their  fight  against  Ah  Sin,  and  they  had  no  inten¬ 
tion  of  being  cheated  out  of  the  fruits  of  their 
victory  if  they  could  help  it.  They  realized  full 
well  that  the  death  penalty  imposed  and  carried  out 
was  their  most  effective  weapon  against  this  law¬ 
less  and  defiant  system. 

For  once  the  Tong  leaders  and  the  crook  attor¬ 
neys  found  that  their  power  was,  after  all,  limited, 
and  that  even  in  America  there  were  some  things 
and  some  persons  which  could  not  be  bought. 

The  door  of  the  cell  opened  and  Mar  Chet  ap¬ 
peared,  walking  between  two  guards.  The  pallour 
of  his  face  was  in  striking  contrast  with  the  new 
black  suit  he  was  wearing.  His  hands  were 
strapped  to  his  sides.  He  wore  no  collar,  and  his 
shirt  was  open  at  the  neck.  His  walk  was  more 
of  a  shuffle.  He  seemed  dazed.  Thirteen  steps 
brought  him  to  the  foot  of  the  scaffold.  Unfalter¬ 
ingly  he  mounted  the  thirteen  stairs  which  brought 
him  to  the  trap. 

One  guard  slipped  the  noose  over  his  head,  ad¬ 
justed  it,  and  pulled  the  black  bag  over  his  face; 
while  another  strapped  his  feet  together. 


190 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


The  Warden  raised  his  hand.  There  was  a  sick¬ 
ening  thud  as  the  trap  was  sprung  and  Mar  Chet’s 
body  dropped  through  five  feet  of  space. 

It  was  the  work  of  but  a  moment;  and  Mar 
Chet,  who  in  his  lifetime  had  taken  the  lives  of  at 
least  six  of  his  fellow  men,  had  forfeited  the  only 
one  he  had  to  give. 


XI 


AFTERMATH 


IT  is  now  two  years  since  Ah  Mae,  trembling 
and  terrified,  stumbled  across  the  threshold  of 
the  “  House  on  the  Hill.” 

These  two  years  have  worked  wonders  in  more 
ways  than  one.  From  a  blighted,  unhappy  child¬ 
hood  she  has  passed  into  happy  normal  maiden¬ 
hood.  Physically  and  mentally  she  has  developed 
in  a  manner  which  is  at  the  same  time  a  joy  and  a 
surprise  to  all  who  have  watched  her.  A  healthy 
body,  a  keen  mind  and  a  proclivity  for  hard  work 
have  put  her  at  the  head  of  her  class;  while  a 
gracious  and  winning  personality,  together  with  an 
unmistakable  spirit  of  service,  have  endeared  her 
to  the  hearts  of  all  who  know  her. 

She  is  trying  to  forget  the  terrible  experiences  of 
the  past,  and  gradually  is  becoming  tO'  regard  them 
as  one  regards  a  nightmare  when  it  is  passed.  She 
has  freely  forgiven  her  mother,  and  in  addition  to 
her  regular  duties  in  the  Home  has  asked  for  spe¬ 
cial  opportunities  to  work,  in  order  that  she  may 
earn  small  sums  of  money  to  send  back  to  her. 

Her  one  desire  now  is  to  get  an  education  and  to 
go  back  to  her  own  people,  even  to  her  own  village 
of  Shek  Kau,  that  she  may  give  to  the  girls  there 


m 


192 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


that  which  was  denied  her;  and  if  she  accomplishes 
that  which  is  now  her  desire  the  time  will  come 
when  no  girl  in  that  village  will  be  without  the 
opportunity  for  an  education. 

“  I’m  afraid  I’m  not  smart  enough  to  do  it,”  she 
said  recently  to  the  writer,  “  but  if  I  only  could  I 
would  like  above  all  things  to  get  a  good  education 
and  then  go  back  and  open  a  big  girls’  school  in 
Shek  Kau.” 

But  perhaps  the  more  astonishing  is  the  change 
that  lias  come  in  Ah-peen  Amy — -and  this  should 
be  the  last  time  that  this  name  is  applied  to  her, 
for  she  has  broken  completely  with  the  old  life  and 
cut  loose  from  all  with  which  that  name  was  so 
long  associated. 

She  had  a  hard  fight  at  first,  and  during  the  days 
that  the  home  was  besieged  by  her  creditors,  clam¬ 
ouring  for  payment,  there  was  much  anxiety  as  to 
how  it  was  all  going  to  turn  out.  Then,  too,  the 
physical  fight  was  a  hard  one;  but  she  won  out. 
She  has  now  fallen  into  the  life  of  the  Home  and 
has  become  quite  a  part  of  it.  Of  her  own  free 
will  she  has  assumed  certain  household  responsi¬ 
bilities.  She  spends  much  time  at  the  weaving 
looms,  where  she  learns  quickly  and  sings  as  she 
works.  She  has  furnished  much  valuable  informa¬ 
tion  which  has  led  to  the  rescue  of  other  girls;  and 
on  two  occasions  she  has  actually  taken  her  life  in 
her  hands  and  gone  with  Miss  McCormack  right 


AFTERMATH 


193 


into  the  dives  of  the  slave  owners,  and  pointed  out 
those  who  are  engaged  in  the  nefarious  business. 
She  may  yet  become  as  notorious  in  breaking  up 
those  who  are  engaged  in  the  life  as  she  was  in  the 
life  itself. 

Catherine  McCormack  and  her  staff  continue  in 
their  heroic  task  of  salvaging  blighted  lives  and 
saving  innocent  ones  from  contamination.  She 
leads  a  thrilling,  strenuous,  nerve-racking  life,  and 
those  who  are  close  enough  to  her  to  watch  her 
marvel  that  her  apparently  frail  constitution  stands 
up  under  it. 

But  Ah  Sin  still  flourishes;  unaltered  in  his 
ways,  and  unweakened  in  his  power.  Each  boat 
that  arrives  from  the  land  of  the  Lotus  Lily  brings 
fresh  recruits  to  his  army.  And  in  these  latter 
years,  even,  he  finds  no  lack  of  the  young  “  Sons 
of  Ham,”  born  right  under  the  shadow  of  Old 
Glory,  who  are  ready  to  enlist  in  his  ranks. 

Even  as  this  is  written  he  is  surreptitiously  im¬ 
porting  Chinese  into  this  country ;  an  unending 
stream  of  silver  is  passing  over  his  thousands  of 
gaming  tables  in  the  United  States;  dainty  slave 
girls,  bound  in  shackles  forged  by  Ah  Sin  and  his 
conscienceless  white  partners,  are  forced  nightly  to 
give  themselves  over  to  lives  of  shame,  that  the 
money  derived  therefrom  may  go  to  swell  the 
coffers  of  their  masters;  and  the  accursed  juice 
of  the  poppy,  the  drug  which  for  centuries 
sapped  the  life  of  the  largest  nation  of  the  earth. 


194. 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


finds  easy  entrance  at  our  ports — for  Ah  Sin  even 
has  ships  of  his  own — and  passes  surreptitiously 
from  hand  to  hand,  leaving  in  its  wake  a  trail  of 
human  wreckage. 


XII 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


TO  call  attention  to  an  unhappy  situation,  to 
point  out  glaring  evils,  to  deplore  existing 
conditions,  is  one  thing.  To  be  able  to  dis¬ 
cover  and  expose  the  cause  of  such  things  and  to 
propose  a  practical  cure  is  quite  another. 

This  book  would  be  in  no  sense  complete  if  it 
left  the  reader  in  the  unhappy  frame  of  mind  that 
he  must  needs  find  himself  at  the  close  of  the  pre¬ 
ceding  chapter.  The  purpose  of  this  closing  chap¬ 
ter,  therefore,  is  to  trace  the  cause  of  the  evils 
which  have  been  set  forth  in  the  foregoing  pages 
and  to  suggest  what  seems  to  the  author,  after 
four  years  of  careful  study  of  the  subject,  to  be 
the  way  out. 

Throughout  our  story  frequent  reference  has 
been  made  to  certain  organizations  known  as 
Tongs  and  to  individuals  spoken  of  as  Highbind¬ 
ers.  It  will  now  be  necessary  to  discuss  at  some 
length 

Chinese:  Secret  Societies  or  “  Tongs  ” :  Their 
Origin,  History  and  Present  Activities 

As  far  as  the  Author  is  able  to  discover  there  has 
not  yet  appeared  in  print,  in  a  form  readily  accessible 

195 


196 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


to  the  American  public,  any  statement  that  is  at  all 
complete  or  sufficiently  comprehensive  to  enable  the 
reader  to  gain  a  clear  and  definite  understanding  of 
these  pestiferous  and  iniquitous  institutions  and  their 
nefarious  practices. 

MEANING  OE  THE  WORD  “  TONG  ” 

Perhaps  the  first  thing  in  order  would  be  to  define 
the  meaning  of  the  word  “  Tong.”  That  is  a  very 
simple  matter. 

“Tong”  is  a  Chinese  word  meaning  “Associ¬ 
ation,”  “  Society,”  or  “  Club.”  It  is  also  sometimes 
employed  to  express  the  idea  of  “  Party,”  in  such  in¬ 
stances  as  the  “  Reform  Party.” 

In  latter  years,  however,  it  may  almost  be  said  that 
the  word  has  been  taken  over  into  our  language — 
particularly  on  the  Pacific  Coast — and  to  have  come 
to  be  used  exclusively  to  indicate  certain  obnoxious 
and  dangerous  organizations  which  exist  in  the 
Chinese  Communities  in  the  United  States. 

THE  “  SIX  COMPANIES  ”  IS  NOT  A  TONG 

The  old  and  famous  organization  known  as  the 
“  Six  Companies  ”  has,  in  the  minds  of  the  American 
public,  often  been  confused  with  the  fighting  Tongs. 
This  institution,  however,  is  not  a  Tong.  The  word 
“  Tong  ”  does  not  appear  in  its  official  Chinese  name, 
which  is  Chung  Wah  Wooi  Koon. 

The  best  free  translation  of  this  title  is  the  Chinese 
Association ;  but  in  this  case  the  word  which  is  trans¬ 
lated  “  Association  ”  is  not  the  word  “  Tong,”  which 
has  more  of  the  “  secret  society  ”  or  “  club  ”  idea 
about  it,  but  “  Wooi,”  which  is  the  word  used  for 
“  Association  ”  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Y.  W.  C.  A.  and 
Knights  of  Columbus. 

The  Chinese  Six  Companies  is  a  composite  or¬ 
ganization  consisting  of  a  combination  of  originally 
six,  but  later  more,  distinct  organizations.  These 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


197 


organizations  were  formed  for  the  mutual  benefit  and 
protection  of  the  Chinese  in  America,  and  had  their 
origin  in  California  back  in  the  early  Fifties. 

The  first  party  of  Chinese  to  set  foot  upon  Ameri¬ 
can  soil  consisted  of  two  men  and  one  woman,  who 
were  landed  in  San  Francisco  from  the  brig  “  Eagle  ” 
in  1848. 

Then  came  the  great  gold  rush.  During  the  next 
twenty-one  years,  while  immigration  was  still  unre¬ 
stricted,  more  than  thirty  thousand  Chinese  found 
their  way  to  these  shores.  Owing  to  a  number  of 
causes,  chief  among  which  were  charges  of  contract 
labour,  the  arrival  of  a  large  number  of  the  criminal 
class,  and  the  growing  jealousy  and  intolerance  of 
the  white  man,  it  was  not  long  before  a  violent  re¬ 
action  set  in,  and  the  Chinese  became  the  object  of 
most  bitter  hatred.  They  were  imposed  upon,  ex¬ 
ploited,  cheated,  mobbed  and  massacred.  This,  how¬ 
ever,  is  not  the  place  to  go  into  the  discussion  of  that 
phase  of  Chinese  life  in  America.  In  order  to  meet 
the  situation  the  Chinese  organized  a  society  called 
the  Chung  Wah  Wooi  Koon,  or  Chinese  Society, 
with  headquarters  in  San  Francisco. 

The  purpose  of  this  society  was  to  protect  the 
Chinese  in  America  from  exploitation,  extortion, 
violence  and  oppression.  They  made  it  their  business 
to  meet  new-comers  at  the  dock ;  to  room  and  board 
them,  and,  if  need  be,  to  clothe  them  until  such  time 
as  they  were  able  to  care  for  themselves ;  to  come  to 
the  assistance  of  any  of  their  number  who  became 
involved  in  trouble  bringing  them  into  the  law 
courts ;  to  protest  against,  and  to  contest,  any  dis¬ 
criminatory  legislation  which  seemed  to  be  unconsti¬ 
tutional  and  to  militate  against  their  people;  and  in 
every  way  to  carefully  and  jealously  guard  the  in¬ 
terests  of  the  Chinese  in  America. 

In  the  process  of  time  the  organization  grew,  and 
certain  jealousies  and  schisms  arose  which  led  to  a 
disruption,  and  to  the  organization  of  six  societies. 


198 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


Membership  in  these  societies  was  on  the  basis  of 
community  clanship. 

After  the  earthquake  and  fire  in  1906,  the  Chinese, 
realizing  the  value  and  importance  of  solidarity, 
came  together  again  in  one  organization,  and  on 
Stockton  Street,  San  Francisco,  erected  a  large, 
handsome  building  for  their  headquarters. 

During  the  period  of  division  they  had  come  to  be 
known  to  the  American  people  as  the  Chinese  Six 
Companies,  and  this  title  was  adopted  as  the  Ameri¬ 
can  name  for  the  united  society,  though  the  Chinese 
name  became  again,  and  still  is,  as  formerly,  the 
Chung  Wah  Wooi  Koon. 

The  Chinese  Six  Companies,  or  Chung  Wah  Wooi 
Koon,  as  it  exists  today,  is  primarily  a  mutual  benefit 
and  protective  association,  and  a  court  of  arbitration. 

In  a  recent  conversation  with  the  writer  a  high 
official  of  this  organization  stated  that  this  latter 
function,  that  of  arbitration,  is  considered  by  the 
Chinese  themselves  to  be  by  far  the  most  important 
of  all  their  activities. 

All  matters  of  dispute  and  disagreement  among  the 
Chinese  themselves  may  be  brought  to  this  court ;  and 
it  is  claimed  that  most  of  them  are,  with  the  excep¬ 
tion  of  the  Tong  disputes.  The  result  is  that  the  num¬ 
ber  of  cases  of  Chinese  against  Chinese  which  find 
their  way  into  the  law  courts  is  comparatively  small. 

This  organization  also  maintains  a  small  hospital, 
conducts  a  large  evening  school  for  the  study  of  the 
Chinese  language,  literature  and  history,  is  ever  on 
the  watch  for,  and  ready  to  contest  any  unconstitu¬ 
tional  discriminatory  legislation  that  is  launched  in 
the  United  States.  It  is  also  the  recognized  com¬ 
munity  organization  through  which  relief  is  ex¬ 
tended  to  the  mother  country  in  time  of  plague,  flood, 
famine  or  disaster  of  any  kind. 

In  times  past  this  organization  has  rendered 
very  valuable  service  to  the  Chinese  Communities 
throughout  the  United  States.  Furthermore,  it  is  not 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


199 


to  be  gainsaid  that  in  some  ways  it  is  still  rendering 
commendable  social  service — such,  for  instance,  as 
its  relief  activities  in  the  time  of  disaster.  But 
whether  or  not  it  is,  as  at  present  administered,  an 
unmixed  social  and  moral  asset  to  the  Chinese  Com¬ 
munity  is  another  question.  Though  it  is  not  a  high¬ 
binder  organization  it  is  no  secret  that  the  highbinder 
element  exists  in  its  membership.  Upon  the  con¬ 
fession  of  one  of  its  officials  it  can  safely  be  stated 
that  representatives  of  all  the  fighting  Tongs  are  in 
its  membership,  and  that  some  of  them  hold  very  in¬ 
fluential  positions.  It  is  furthermore  reported,  by 
members  of  this  organization,  that  Tong  murder 
cases  are  tried  in  its  courts,  settled  by  compromise, 
and  information  which  would  lead  to  the  arrest  of 
the  guilty  parties  withheld  from  the  police. 

HIGHBINDER  TONGS 

The  first  thing  to  be  said  is  that  these  Tongs  are  or¬ 
ganizations  which  claim  to  exist  for  social  &nd  benev¬ 
olent  purposes — the  words  “  Benevolent  Association  ” 
appear  in  most  of  their  official  titles — but  in  reality 
they  are  associations  of  the  criminal  class  of  Chinese, 
organized  for  the  express  purpose  of  promoting  and 
committing  such  crimes  as  commercialized  gambling, 
traffic  in  young  girls,  opium  smuggling,  blackmail,  ex¬ 
tortion,  private  revenge  and  murder;  and  for  the  pro¬ 
tection  of  those  who  engage  in  such  pursuits.  One 
cannot  make  the  positive  statement  that  these  organi¬ 
zations  carry  on  no  benevolent  activities,  without  ex¬ 
posing  himself  to  violent  contradiction  from  certain 
sources ;  but  the  fact  remains  that  all  who  are  in  any 
sense  familiar  with  their  activities,  both  American 
and  Chinese,  know  that  such  is  the  case. 

The  origin  and  early  history  of  these  organiza¬ 
tions  are  somewhat  lost  in  obscurity,  as  it  was  not 
until  they  had  been  in  existence  some  years,  and  had 
become  a  positive  public  nuisance  and  menace  in  the 
Chinese  communities,  that  the  attention  of  outsiders 


200 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


was  called  to  them  sufficiently  to  lead  to  investiga¬ 
tion.  Almost  from  the  time  of  their  inception  their 
history  has  been  one  long  record  of  warfare  and 
bloodshed.  Upon  the  most  trifling  provocation,  and 
in  utter  disregard  for  our  American  laws,  they  de¬ 
clare  war  among  themselves ;  sometimes  fighting  in 
the  open,  but  usually  resorting  to  the  most  cowardly 
kind  of  guerilla  warfare.  Assassinations  commence 
immediately  upon  the  declaration  of  war.  Instances 
have  occurred  in  which  within  five  or  ten  minutes 
after  a  declaration  of  hostilities  as  many  as  four 
murders  have  taken  place.  They  fight  until  their 
bloodthirst  has  for  the  time  being  been  satisfied,  and 
then  make  peace  at  their  pleasure.  In  some  cases 
they  have  been  brazen  enough  to  publish,  in  the 
Chinese  daily  papers,  an  official  statement  of  the  fact 
that  peace  has  been  declared  and  that  all  fighting 
must  cease. 

THE  SITUATION  DURING  1880-1890 

During  the  period,  1880-1890,  affairs  in  San  Fran¬ 
cisco’s  Chinatown  reached  a  very  serious  state. 
Scarcely  a  day  passed  that  someone  was  not  killed. 
Even  white  people  were  killed  by  accident  as  shots 
were  flying  in  all  directions.  One  afternoon  there 
were  as  many  as  seventy-five  shots  fired  on  the 
streets  by  one  Tong  against  another. 

The  report  of  the  Sergeant  in  charge  of  the  China¬ 
town  squad  at  that  time  reads  as  follows :  “  I  went 
to  Chief  Crowley  and  told  him  that  I  could  do 
nothing;  that  there  were  no  laws  to  cover  these 
things.  I  said  that  when  any  of  these  Chinamen 
commit  deeds  of  violence  they  run  into  the  numerous 
small  alley  ways  of  Chinatown  and  get  beyond  our 
reach,  and  after  being  once  lost  sight  of  it  is  impos¬ 
sible  to  identify  them  unless  by  some  peculiar  mark 
upon  them.  These  Societies  are  unlawful  and  or¬ 
ganized  for  unlawful  purposes.  They  do  not  recog¬ 
nize  our  laws,  and  to  compete  with  them  we  have  to 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


201 


go  beyond  our  present  laws.  I  can  put  a  stop  to 
these  societies  if  you  will  give  me  my  own  way.  The 
Chief  said  that  he  was  under  bonds  and  that,  of 
course,  they  would  sue  him  if  he  did  as  I  suggested. 
Next  I  saw  the  Chinese  Consul  and  he  spoke  to  the 
Chief  of  Police,  and  also  told  me  to  use  my  own 
judgment;  assuring  the  Chief  that  if  he  (the  Chief) 
should  be  sued,  he  (the  Consul)  or  the  Chinese  Gov¬ 
ernment  would  stand  the  consequences.  The  chief 
sent  for  me  and  said  that  he  thought  my  ideas  were 
all  right,  and  gave  me  permission  to  carry  them  out 
in  my  own  way.  I  then  went  out  and  got  seven  or 
eight  strong,  healthy  officers,  and  we  visited  all  these 
places,  taking  down  the  numbers  and  setting  out  in 
the  right  way  to  get  into  the  workings  of  these  So¬ 
cieties.  When  I  had  everything  arranged  I  got  six¬ 
teen  men  in  uniform  and  a  surgeon,  and  supplied 
them  all  with  axes.  We  marched  from  one  to  an¬ 
other  of  these  Societies  and  literally  cut  them  to 
pieces;  we  did  not  leave  a  bit  of  furniture  five  inches 
long  in  any  of  them.  I  suppose  we  broke  up  about 
$180,000  worth  of  property.  Some  of  these  places 
were  fixed  up  magnificently.  Wherever  we  went  we 
got  arms,  ammunition,  bowie  knives  two  feet  long 
in  blade,  iron  bars  done  up  in  braided  cord,  etc. ;  also 
chain  and  steel  armour  which  they  wear  under  their 
clothing,  and  which  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  pene¬ 
trate.  Of  course,  after  we  broke  up  their  meeting 
places  they  could  not  meet.  Among  the  better  class 
of  Chinese  who  belong  to  these  Societies  through 
fear  or  for  self-protection,  we  were  held  in  favour 
for  what  we  had  done.  They  did  everything  they 
could  to  aid  us.  They  could  not  meet  me  in  China¬ 
town,  but  they  came  to  my  home  in  hacks  at  night  to 
inform  me  where  I  could  find  these  men.  I  was  so 
well  posted  in  the  situation  in  Chinatown  that  they 
could  not  open  their  rooms  or  offices  in  any  place. 
We  broke  up  their  josses — they  always  have  josses 
in  these  places.  One  of  them  they  brought  from 


202 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


China.  It  was  worth  from  $700  to  $800.  I  broke  up 
one  of  these  and  the  friendly  Chinese  were  so  super¬ 
stitious  that  they  feared  I  would  die.  I  went  around 
to  all  the  stores,  houses  of  prostitution  and  places  of 
that  kind  in  Chinatown,  and  notified  these  people 
that  if  they  were  aiding  these  Highbinder  Societies 
in  any  way  I  would  demolish  their  places.  If  they 
wanted  protection  I  would  give  it  to  them.  If  one 
officer  would  not  do  I  would  give  them  forty ;  but  if 
I  found  that  any  of  them  were  paying  money  to  any 
of  these  societies  I  would  break  up  everything  they 
had.  In  this  way  several  of  the  societies  were  driven 
out  of  town ;  and  for  about  three  years  there  was  not 
a  Chinaman  killed  in  the  city.  If  this  method  had 
been  kept  up  we  should  not  have  had  any  more 
trouble.  The  reason  it  was  not  kept  up  was  that  suit 
was  commenced  in  the  United  States  Court  against 
the  Chief  of  Police  and  the  raiding  officers,  and 

evervbodv  who  was  concerned  in  these  raids.  The 

•/  *  ,  _ 

attorneys  for  these  Chinese  Highbinders  raised  a 
large  amount  of  money  to  carry  on  these  suits  and 
bothered  the  Chief  of  Police  a  great  deal.  It  kept 
us  going  all  the  time.  The  cases  were  first  conducted 
in  the  local  courts  and  then  taken  in  the  United 
States  courts.”  * 

THE  COMMISSION  0 E  1901 

Reports  of  these  conditions  reached  the  ears  of  the 
Cxovernment  at  Washington,  and  in  1901  the  United 
States  Industrial  Commission,  appointed  by  the 
Fifty-seventh  Congress,  included  in  its  activities  an 
investigation  into  the  practices  of  the  Highbinder 
Tongs,  and  other  social  evils  existing  in  the  Chinese 
Communities  in  America.  At  that  time  there  was 
forthcoming  abundance  of  testimony  of  a  like  nature 
to  that  given  above.  J.  Endicot  Gardner,  who  was 


*  Report  of  the  U.  S.  Industrial  Commission,  1901,  Vol. 
xv,  p.  779ff. 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


203 


at  that  time  United  States  Chinese  Inspector  and  In¬ 
terpreter  at  the  Port  of  San  Francisco,  who  had  spent 
many  years  in  intimate  contact  with  the  Chinese  in 
the  United  States,  who  thoroughly  understood  their 
language,  and  was  very  familiar  with  their  methods, 
testified  before  this  Commission. 

He  stated  that  he  knew  that  these  Tongs  were 
organized  societies  for  the  purpose  of  committing 
crime;  that  they  existed  on  blackmail,  on  pay  for 
protecting  gambling  houses  and  disreputable  houses 
in  general ;  that  they  took  it  upon  themselves  to  try 
cases,  to  review  judgments  of  our  courts  with  utter 
disregard  to  our  laws,  and  that  they  nullified  the 
decisions  of  our  courts. 

“  For  instance,”  he  said,  “  if  an  American  court 
renders  a  decision  the  Tongs  will  intimidate  the 
witnesses  so  that  when  the  case  comes  into  a  higher 
court  everything  would  be  changed.  They  defy  our 
courts  by  ways  and  means  of  their  own.  I  know 
that  they  impose  their  own  sentences  upon  offenders 
from  their  own  standpoint.  They  levy  fines  in  some 
cases  and  impose  the  death  penalty  in  others.  I 
know  they  have  in  their  service  paid  men  to  do  the 
killing,  and  so  long  have  they  had  this  service  that 
the  men  have  a  particular  name ;  they  are  called 
*  hatchet  men.’  I  know  they  control  our  judicial 
oaths ;  that  they  can  say  an  oath  shall  or  shall  not 
be  taken.  I  know  them  as  organized  societies  of 
crime.” 

At  this  investigation  there  was  also  produced  the 
following  translation  of  a  letter  giving  the  instruc¬ 
tions  of  a  fighting  Tong  to  one  of  its  Highbinders : 

“To  Lum  Hip,  Salaried  Soldier: 

“  It  has  been  said  that  to  plan  schemes  and  devise 
methods  and  to  hold  the  seal  is  the  work  of  the 
literary  class,  while  to  oppose  foes,  fight  battles  and 
plant  firm  government  is  the  work  of  the  military. 
Now  this  Tong  appoints  salaried  soldiers  to  be  ready 
to  protect  ourselves  and  assist  others.  This  is  our 


204 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


object.  All,  therefore,  who  undertake  the  military 
service  of  this  Tong  must  obey  orders,  and  without 
orders  they  must  not  dare  to  act.  If  any  of  our 
brethren  are  suddenly  molested  it  will  be  necessary 
for  you  to  act  with  resolute  will.  You  shall  always 
work  to  the  interest  of  the  Tong,  and  never  make 
your  office  a  means  of  private  revenge.  When  orders 
are  given  you  shall  advance  valiantly  to  your  as¬ 
signed  task.  Never  shrink  or  turn  back  upon  the 
battlefield.  When  a  ship  arrives  in  port  with  prosti¬ 
tutes  on  board,  and  the  Grand  Master  issues  an  order 
for  you  to  go  down  and  receive  them,  you  must  be 
punctual,  and  use  all  your  ability  for  the  good  of  the 
Commonwealth.  If,  in  the  discharge  of  your  duty, 
you  are  slain  we  will  undertake  to  pay  $500  sympathy 
money  to  your  friends.  If  you  are  wounded  a  doctor 
will  be  engaged  to  heal  your  wounds,  and  if  you  are 
laid  up  for  any  length  of  time  you  will  receive  $10 
per  month.  If  you  are  maimed  for  life  and  incapaci¬ 
tated  for  work,  $250  shall  be  paid  to  you,  and  a  sub¬ 
scription  taken  to  defray  all  costs  of  your  journey 
home  to  China.  Furthermore,  whenever  you  exert 
your  strength  to  kill  or  wound  enemies  of  this  Tong, 
and  in  so  doing  you  are  arrested  and  imprisoned, 
$100  per  year  will  be  paid  to  your  friends  during 
your  imprisonment. 

Dated  13th  day  of  5th  month  of  14th  year  of 
Kwong  Su. 

(Seal  of  the  Chee  Kung  Tong).” 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Tong  which  issued 
these  instructions  is  one  which  claims  to  be  a  branch 
of  the  famous  Triad  Society,  or  Chinese  Free¬ 
masons.  But  more  of  this  later. 

Miss  Donaldina  Cameron,  Matron  of  the  Presby¬ 
terian  Home  for  Chinese  Girls,  stated  that  she  knew 
that  many  of  the  members  of  these  Highbinder 
Tongs  were  engaged  in  the  business  of  buying  and 
selling  young  girls  for  immoral  purposes.  “  We 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


205 


know,”  she  said,  “  of  cases  where  the  Highbinders 
have  even  stolen  married  girls  from  their  husbands 
after  they  have  gone  to  small  country  places.” 

Continuing,  she  said  that  she  supposed  that  more 
than  ninety  per  cent,  of  Chinese  girls  who  are  brought 
to  this  country  were  destined  for  immoral  lives.  “  I 
think,”  she  said,  “  that  quite  a  number  come  volun¬ 
tarily,  never  dreaming  what  their  fate  is  to  be ;  but  I 
think,  also,  that  a  great  many  are  landed  against 
their  wills. 

“  We  never  receive  a  girl  that  the  highbinders  do 
not  hang  around  the  house  for  a  day  or  two,  looking 
for  an  opportunity  to  get  her  away  from  us.  They 
even  follow  us  to  church.  Only  two  weeks  ago  they 
had  a  carriage  standing  at  the  street  corner  hoping 
to  get  a  girl  that  we  rescued  a  short  time  ago. 

“  Numberless  threatening  letters  have  come  during 
the  years  that  I  have  been  here ;  slipped  in  under  the 
door,  from  Chinese,  of  course.  One  morning  when 
the  man  came  around  with  the  newspapers  he  found 
a  large  dynamite  cartridge  about  a  foot  long  stand¬ 
ing  up  against  the  front  door,  placed  in  such  a 
manner  that  when  the  door  should  be  opened  the 
cartridge  would  fall  in  and  explode.  When  the 
police  were  called  they  found  that  at  all  the  basement 
windows  similar  cartridges  had  been  placed. 

“  Nearly  always  when  we  rescue  a  girl  these  high¬ 
binders  hire  an  attorney,  who  serves  on  us  a  writ  of 
habeas  corpus;  furthermore,  they  go  into  court  and 
swear  that  the  girl  is  the  wife  of  some  man  whom 
they  have  there  in  court;  and  they  so  intimidate  the 
girl  that  sometimes  they  get  them  to  concur  in  the 
testimony,  and  thereby  get  them  back.” 

A  great  deal  more  of  similar  testimony  was  pre¬ 
sented  to  the  Commission. 

THE  COMMISSION  URGES  ACTION 

In  making  his  report  to  Congress  the  Hon.  Albert 


206 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


Clarke,  Chairman  of  the  Commission,  after  review¬ 
ing  the  testimony,  concluded  as  follows : — 

“  During  my  investigation  of  this  subject  a  num¬ 
ber  of  very  prominent  and  wealthy  Chinese  mer¬ 
chants  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco  visited  me  in  my 
hotel ;  most  of  them  coming  secretly  in  the  night 
time,  as  they  were  fearful  that  violence  would  be 
done  them  if  it  became  known  to  the  highbinders 
that  they  had  come  to  see  me.  Everyone  of  these 
men  substantiated  what  Dr.  Gardner  had  said  con¬ 
cerning  the  frauds  committed  in  the  landing  of 
coolies.  They  insisted  that  if  the  highbinder  societies 
could  be  broken  up  that  the  source  of  nearly  all  these 
frauds  against  the  Exclusion  Act  would  be  removed. 

“  It  is  my  opinion,  after  a  most  thorough  and 
careful  investigation  of  this  subject,  that  if  the  coun¬ 
try  could  be  rid  of  this  criminal  class  of  Chinese,  and 
the  highbinder  societies  or  Tongs  permanently  sup¬ 
pressed  one  of  the  greatest  factors  in  the  commission 
of  fraud  in  the  administration  of  the  Exclusion  Act 
would  be  eliminated. 

“  As  a  result  of  my  investigation  I  have  reached 
the  conclusion  that  the  only  way  in  which  this  evil 
can  be  reached  and  the  country  rid  of  this  vicious 
and  disturbing  element  is  for  Congress  to  take  the 
subject  in  hand. 

“  The  one  thing  which  they  fear  above  all  others, 
holding  it  in  greater  dread  than  all  of  our  laws,  our 
courts  and  jails,  is  deportation  to  China.  The  pur¬ 
pose  of  the  highbinder  organizations  is  vicious  and 
criminal.  They  should  be  suppressed  by  law  of 
Congress,  and  membership  therein,  or  in  any  society 
having  for  its  purpose  the  commission  of  crime  or 
the  violation  of  our  laws  on  the  part  of  aliens  resid¬ 
ing  in  this  country,  should  render  such  aliens  liable 
to  deportation.” 

As  to  whether  Congress  ever  acted  upon  the  sug¬ 
gestion  of  this  Commission,  and  took  the  matter  up, 
there  seems  to  be  no  record ;  but  one  thing  is  certain : 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


207 


they  did  not  pass  any  legislation  that  would  suppress 
these  organizations. 

move  for  reform  miscarries 

Then,  a  few  years  later,  moved  by  the  fact  that 
absolutely  nothing  came  of  this  report  which  the 
Commission  sent  to  Congress,  a  group  of  public- 
spirited  persons,  whose  various  daily  occupations 
brought  them  into  intimate  contact  with  Chinese 
affairs  in  America,  met  to  seriously  discuss  the  mat¬ 
ter,  and,  if  possible,  to  find  some  way  to  cope  with 
the  situation  which  was  steadily  becoming  worse. 

In  this  group  were  ministers,  educators,  social 
workers,  lawyers  and  public  officials ;  both  American 
and  Chinese. 

After  much  deliberation  it  was  decided  to  make  an 
effort  to  provide  special  legislation  which  would  en¬ 
able  the  department  of  labour  to  deal  with  the  situ¬ 
ation  through  a  process  of  deportation.  Accordingly 
the  following  proposed  act  was  prepared  for  presen¬ 
tation  to  Congress : 

AN  ACT  TO  PROVIDE  FOR  THE  DEPORTATION  OF  CERTAIN 

CHINESE  PERSONS 

Be  It  Enacted,  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre¬ 
sentatives  of  the  United  States  of  America  in  Con¬ 
gress  assembled : 

Section  1.  That  any  Chinese  person,  or  person  of 
Chinese  descent,  who  is  a  member  or  associate  of  any 
Tong,  highbinder  organization,  society  or  association, 
including  those  incorporated  in  accordance  with  law, 
whose  actual  purpose,  object  or  practice,  wholly  or 
in  part  is  the  advising,  encouraging,  aiding,  abetting, 
countenancing,  attempting  or  engaging,  either  di¬ 
rectly  or  indirectly,  in  highbinder  wars,  homicide, 
blackmail  or  the  holding  of  women  for  prostitution, 
shall  be  deemed  to  be  unlawfully  in  the  United 
States,  and  shall,  upon  the  warrant  of  the  Secretary 


208 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


of  Labour,  be  taken  into  custody  and  deported  to  the 
country  from  which  he  came  at  any  time  after  the 
date  of  his  entry  into  the  United  States.  Such  ar¬ 
rest  and  deportation  shall  be  at  the  expense  of  the 
appropriation  “  Expense  of  Regulating  Immigration 
(Chinese)  provided  that,  pending  the  final  dispo¬ 
sition  of  the  case  of  any  person  so  taken  into  cus¬ 
tody,  he  may  be  released  under  a  bond  in  the  penal 
sum  of  not  less  than  one  thousand  (SI, 000)  dollars, 
with  security  approved  by  the  secretary  of  labour, 
conditioned  that  such  person  shall  be  produced  when 
required  for  the  hearing  in  regard  to  the  charge  upon 
which  he  has  been  taken  into  custody,  and  for  depor¬ 
tation  if  he  shall  be  found  to  be  unlawfully  in  the 
United  States. 

Section  2.  That  the  Commissioner  General  of 
Immigration  shall,  under  the  direction  or  with  the 
approval  of  the  Secretary  of  Labour,  establish  such 
rules  and  regulations,  prescribe  such  forms  of  war¬ 
rants,  bonds,  oaths,  hearings,  reports,  entries  and 
other  papers,  and  detail  or  appoint  necessary  officers, 
and  shall  from  time  to  time,  issue  such  instructions 
not  inconsistent  with  law,  as  he  shall  deem  best  cal¬ 
culated  for  enforcement  and  carrying  out  the  provis¬ 
ions  of  this  act. 

Section  3.  That  any  Chinese  person  or  person  of 
Chinese  descent  arrested  under  the  provision  of  this 
act  shall  be  adjudged  to  be  unlawfully  within  the 
United  States,  unless  such  person  shall  establish  by 
affirmative  proof,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Secretary 
of  Labour,  whose  decision,  if  adverse  to  such  person, 
shall  be  final,  his  lawful  right  to  remain  in  the  United 
States ;  provided  that  no  previous  adjudication  of 
such  person’s  rights  to  be  within  the  United  States 
shall  operate  as  a  bar  to  the  proceedings  provided  for 
by  this  act. 

Section  4.  That  this  act  shall  take  effect  im¬ 
mediately. 

The  machinery  for  the  passing  of  this  act  was  all 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


209 


prepared  and  ready  to  be  put  in  motion  when,  for 
some  reason  or  other,  the  whole  thing  miscarried. 
Just  what  caused  the  halt  nobody  ever  seemed  to 
know.  There  are,  however,  those  who  feel  that  there 
is  every  reason  to  believe  that  through  either  the 
carelessness  or  the  infidelity  of  some  member  of  the 
committee,  Ah  Sin.  the  rich  and  powerful,  got  wind 
of  what  was  going  on,  and  by  his  “  ways  that  are 
dark  and  tricks  that  are  vain  ”  succeeded  in  putting 
a  quietus  on  the  whole  matter. 

Perhaps  that  is  so. 

THE  PRESENT  SITUATION 

But  what  of  the  present  situation? 

On  the  surface  things  have  changed  because  the 
times  have  changed.  In  spite  of  the  painful  efforts 
of  the  unscrupulous  and  avaricious  sight-seeing 
companies,  the  romance,  the  fascination  and  the  thrill 
of  San  Francisco’s  Chinatown  have  almost  passed 
away.  They  went  largely  with  the  passing  of  “  Old 
Chinatown,”  which  was  wiped  from  the  face  of  the 
city  of  St.  Francis  by  the  earthquake  and  fire  in 
1906;  and  disappeared  almost  entirely  with  the 
overthrow  of  the  Manchu  Dynasty  and  the  rise 
of  the  Chinese  Republic.  A  new  and  modem 
Chinese  Community  has  arisen,  with  handsome  build¬ 
ings  and  comparatively  broad  streets.  The  under¬ 
ground  passages  are  but  few  compared  with  those 
of  old  Chinatown.  The  alleys  are  few,  and  for  the 
most  part  are  well  lighted  and  well  policed ;  and  those 
who  walk  in  them  are,  in  appearance,  not  so  very 
different  from  their  Western  brother..  The  queue 
has  gone  for  ever.  The  Oriental  costume  for  males 
has  been  entirely  replaced  by  Occidental  garb.  The 
joss  and  the  dragon  are  seldom  seen;  and  even 
Chinese  New  Year  is  a  tame  affair  compared  with 
that  of  old.  But  underneath,  Chinese  Society  has 
changed  but  little;  though  it  may  be  said  to  have 
taken  on  a  Western  veneer ;  for, 


210 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


“East  is  East  and  West  is  West,  and  never  the 
twain  shall  meet.” 

Christian  missionaries,  Protestant  and  Roman 
Catholic,  and  emissaries  of  social  welfare  have  been 
lavish  with  their  attentions.  They  have  erected  im¬ 
posing  and  expensive  buildings ;  and  have  spent 
freely  of  their  money  for  the  propagation  of  their 
various  denominationalisms ;  but  have  made  little 
enough  impression  upon  Ah  Sin  and  his  tribe. 

Almost  every  one  of  the  old  evils  still  exist :  opium, 
gambling,  prostitution,  slavery,  blackmail,  murder 
and  so  forth.  Back  of  it  all  are  the  Tongs,  which, 
though  they  no  longer  use  hatchets,  seldom  fight  in 
the  open,  and  do  not,  perhaps,  very  often  call  upon 
the  joss  to  aid  them  in  their  murderous  enterprises— 
for  they  have  found  that  one  good  criminal  attorney 
is  worth  more  than  any  number  of  josses — are  still 
the  lawless,  bloody  organizations  as  of  old,  whose 
power  and  evil  influence  in  the  community  are,  if 
anything,  greater  than  ever.  It  is  the  unanimous 
opinion  of  missionaries,  educators,  social  workers 
and  police  officials  that  these  Tongs  constitute  to¬ 
day  the  greatest  single  menace  to  the  social,  moral 
and  industrial  welfare  of  the  Chinese  in  the 
United  States.  There  is  scarcely  a  single  known 
evil  existing  in  the  Chinese  Communities  for 
which  they  are  not  responsible,  and  which  could 
not  be  eradicated  were  it  not  for  their  power  and 
influence. 

To  speak  specifically: 

THE  ILLEGAL  LANDING  OF  CHINESE  CONTINUES 

Chinese  are  constantly  smuggled  into  this  country 
by  means  of  the  most  daring  devices. 

Furthermore,  section  six  of  the  Chinese  Exclusion 
Act  is  constantly  abused  and  violated.  Men  and  boys 
are  landed  as  merchants,  as  merchants’  sons  and  as 
students  by  means  of  papers  fraudulently  obtained. 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


211 


The  case  of  Wong  Toy,  cited  in  the  preceding  chap¬ 
ter,  is  typical  of  the  kind  of  thing  that  is  going  on 
all  the  time.  Moreover,  girls  and  women  are  landed 
as  wives,  sisters  and  daughters,  wdien  in  reality  they 
are  destined  for  immoral  purposes.  Such  things  are 
made  possible  by  the  power  and  money  of  the  High¬ 
binder  Tongs. 

THE  SALE  OE  YOUNG  GIRLS  EOR  IMMORAL  PURPOSES 

STILL  GOES  ON 

The  traffic  in  young  girls — mostly  innocent — for 
immoral  purposes  is  still  a  profitable  industry  of 
these  Tongs ;  and  would  be  a  hundred- fold  more  so 
were  it  not  for  the  rigidity  of  the  Immigration  De¬ 
partment,  and  the  everlasting  and  untiring  vigilance 
of  those  who  have  made  it  their  life  work  to  fight 
this  evil. 

But  in  spite  of  everything  this  traffic  in  young  girls 
is  going  on  all  the  time.  During  the  last  twelve 
months  more  than  a  dozen  such  girls  have  been  res¬ 
cued  from  lives  of  enforced  slavery.  Only  recently 
a  young  girl,  obviously  and  unquestionably  destined 
for  prostitution,  was  denied  admission  at  the  port  of 
San  Francisco  because  her  story,  and  the  story  of 
those  who  sought  to  land  her,  was  so  clearly  a  fake. 
But  the  long  arm  of  Ah  Sin  reached  out  to  Wash¬ 
ington  and  she  was  landed  over  the  protest  of  the 
local  immigration  authorities.  She  is  now  one  of 
San  Francisco’s  slave  girls,  being  exploited  for  im¬ 
moral  purposes ;  and  so  far  efforts  to  rescue  her  have 
not  succeeded. 

From  a  certain  absolutely  reliable  source— -just 
what  source  it  is  not  necessary,  and  perhaps  not  wise, 
to  state — it  is  ascertained  that  there  is  a  steady  flow 
of  Chinese  girls  being  brought  into  this  country  for 
immoral  purposes.  And  it  is  estimated  by  one  who 
is  close  to  the  heart  of  the  whole  business  and  is 
absolutely  qualified  to  know  that  there  are  several 


212 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


hundred  of  such  young  Chinese  girls  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  owned  body  and  soul  by  Tong  men,  who,  in 
turn,  are  protected  by  the  Highbinder  Tongs. 

COMMERCIALIZED  GAMBLING  STILL  FLOURISHES  IN 
NEARLY  EVERY  CHINESE  COMMUNITY  IN  U.  S. 

It  is  a  burning  shame  that  our  American  City, 
County  and  State  Governments  continue  to  wink  at 
commercialized  gambling  as  it  is  openly  carried  on  in 
practically  every  Chinese  Community  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  with  the  exception  of  San  Francisco  and, 
perhaps,  Oakland. 

There  are  actually  thousands  of  Chinese  gam¬ 
bling  houses  known  to  the  writer  to  be  running 
undisturbed. 

Roughly  speaking,  these  houses  may  be  classified 
under  three  heads.  First  there  are  the  places  which 
are  open  only  to  those  who  are  bona  fide  gamblers. 
No  sight-seers,  slumming  parties,  social  investigators, 
reformers,  missionaries  or  the  like  can  gain  entrance. 
Some  of  these  places  have  the  appearance  of  small 
stores  with  shelves  stocked  with  canned  goods  and 
other  commodities.  One  who  is  observant,  however, 
will  notice  that  there  is  never  any  change  in  the 
amount  or  character  of  the  goods  displayed ;  and 
that  many  of  the  labels  and  wrappings  bear  “  prima 
facie  ”  evidence  of  old  age.  Back  of  these  camou¬ 
flage  stores  are  large  gambling  halls.  Others  of  them 
have  not  the  appearance  of  stores ;  but  have  small 
vestibules  in  front,  over  which  are  inscribed  in 
Chinese  characters  auspicious  epigraphs,  such  as 
“  Great  Benefit,”  “  Everlasting  Blessing,”  “  Abun¬ 
dant  Good  Luck  ”  and  “  The  Dwelling  Place  of 
Happiness.” 

Each  one  of  such  places  is  guarded  by  at  least  one 
sly  old  watchman.  In  the  case  of  the  camouflage 
stores  he  is  seated  behind  the  counter.  In  the  other 
case  he  is  seated  on  a  chair  or  bench  near  the  door¬ 
way.  Wherever  he  is  seated  he  is  usually  an  old 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


213 


man,  and  seems  to  be  in  deep  contemplation,  and  to 
be  paying  no  attention  to  any  of  the  passers  by;  but 
in  reality  he  is  watching  very  carefully;  and  should 
there  be  the  least  move  on  the  part  of  any  one  to  lead 
him  to  fear  that  a  raid  is  to  be  made,  or  that  some 
curious  person  is  going  to  try  to  force  an  entrance, 
he  immediately  presses  a  concealed  button  and  a  bell 
rings  back  in  the  gambling  house.  Even  if  one 
should  succeed  in  getting  past  him,  he  will  find 
between  him  and  the  gambling  hall  several  doors 
which  are  automatically  locked  as  soon  as  the  bell 
rings.  And  if  by  any  rare  chance  one  should  get  by 
these  doors  and  into  the  gambling  hall,  as  the  writer 
has  succeeded  in  doing  on  a  few  unusual  occasions, 
he  will  find  nothing  but  a  few  harmless-looking  old 
men  smoking  long  pipes  and  engaged  in  innocent 
conversation.  All  gambling  paraphernalia  will  be 
out  of  sight  and  the  gamblers  will  have  departed 
hastily  by  means  of  skillfully  contrived  “  get-aways.” 
Most  of  these  places  are  astonishingly  well  fortified 
against  police  raids.  There  are  intricate  passages, 
doors  of  double  and  triple  thickness,  which  are 
automatically  closed  and  bolted,  sometimes  by  as 
many  as  three  one-inch  bolts,  and  numerous  cun¬ 
ningly  concealed  exits.  In  fact  some  of  these  places 
are  almost  impregnable.  The  writer  was  in  Stock- 
ton,  California,  not  long  ago  while  a  new  gambling 
house  was  being  erected  in  the  Chinese  quarter.  Of 
this  place  it  was  openly  boasted  that  when  finished 
it  would  be  “  police  proof.” 

The  second  kind  of  house  has  no  watchman  and 
little  or  nothing  to  indicate  from  the  outside  that  it 
is  a  gambling  house ;  but  on  the  door  or  window  is  an 
innocent-looking  piece  of  paper  upon  which  are  writ¬ 
ten  four  Chinese  characters  meaning  “  Open  for  busi¬ 
ness  today.”  One  who  cannot  read  Chinese  passes 
this  by  without  a  second  glance ;  but  one  who  is  able 
to  do  so  knows  that  somewhere  back  of  that  store, 
barber  shop  or  soft  drink  stand  are  the  gaming  tables. 


214 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


The  third  kind  of  house  is  the  wide-open  house. 
There  is  no  attempt  made  to  disguise  or  cover  up  the 
real  nature  of  these  places.  The  doors  are  wide 
open,  and  any  one  can  go  in.  At  numerous  tables 
the  games  are  in  full  swing  at  most  any  time  of  the 
day  or  night ;  piles  of  money  are  in  evidence  upon 
the  table  around  which  are  Chinese,  Japanese,  Hin¬ 
dus,  Portuguese,  Americans,  men  and  women, 
gambling  to  their  hearts’  content.  In  the  Sacramento 
River  towns  there  are  dozens  of  such  places,  eye¬ 
sores  to  every  decent  American  citizen  and  an  un¬ 
mitigated  disgrace  to  our  American  civilization. 
They  are,  however,  delightfully  prolific  sources  of 
easy  income  for  conscienceless  white  landlords.  In 
all  communities  where  Chinese  gambling  houses 
exist  the  police,  from  time  to  time,  just  to  show  that 
they  are  on  to  their  jobs,  make  sensational  raids. 
At  such  times — if  the  houses  have  not  been  previ¬ 
ously  tipped  off — all  the  gamblers  are  punished  by 
a  small  fine,  and  the  proprietor  by  a  larger  one.  The 
next  day,  or  soon  after,  the  proprietor  wins  more 
than  enough  to  pay  all  the  fines ;  and  many  of  the 
houses  have  an  understanding  with  their  patrons  that 
in  the  event  of  a  raid  the  house  stands  good  for  all 
the  fines. 

It  is  only  fair  to  all  concerned  to  say  that  in  San 
Francisco  the  Chinese  gambling  houses  are  skillfully 
concealed  in  other  parts  of  the  city.  For  a  good 
many  years  gambling  houses  have  not  been  permitted 
to  run  openly  in  Chinatown.  The  old  buildings  re¬ 
main,  with  their  labyrinthine  passages,  heavily  barred 
and  automatically  closing  doors,  secret  sliding  panels 
and  cunningly  contrived  get-aways ;  but  it  is  greatly 
to  the  credit  of  the  present  police  regime  that  through 
eternal  vigilance  these  places  are  prevented  from 
operating.  What  can  be  done  in  San  Francisco  can 
be  done  in  other  places,  if  the  authorities  so  desire. 

But  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  Tongs  and  Tong: 
Wars  ? 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


215 


Just  this:  That,  as  in  the  case  of  the  traffic  in 
girls,  the  Tongs  are  back  of  it  all.  They  are  organ¬ 
ized  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  this  sort  of  thing. 
They  provide  funds  by  means  of  which  skilled  attor¬ 
neys  are  employed  to  defend  them  in  the  courts,  and 
corrupt  police  officials  are  bought  off.  Furthermore, 
it  is  a  matter  of  record  that  disputes  over  gambling 
and  slave  girls  are  the  most  prolific  of  all  causes  of 
Tong  Wars. 

TONG  MURDERS  ARE  STILL  COMMON 

During  the  year  1921  there  were  at  least  two  dozen 
murders  in  the  Pacific  States.  As  far  as  the  writer 
is  able  to  discover,  there  were  but  three  convictions. 
Two  were  given  the  death  penalty  and  the  other  life 
imprisonment. 

Tong  Wars  are  still  a  periodical  epidemic.  When 
they  occur  everything  in  the  Chinese  Community  is 
thrown  into  confusion.  Fear  rules  the  hearts  of  all, 
prominent  citizens  are  forced  into  hiding  to  save 
their  lives,  business  comes  to  a  standstill  and  social 
progress  is  hampered.  Everything  is  thrown  out  of 
gear  until,  in  their  own  good  time,  the  warring  Tongs 
choose  to  make  peace. 

THE  SQUARE  AND  COMPASS 

It  is  often  said  that  these  Highbinder  Tongs  are 
not  indigenous  Chinese  institutions,  that  they  origi¬ 
nated  on  Western  soil  and  do  not  exist  in  China. 
This  statement  needs  qualification.  It  is  true  and  yet 
it  may  be  misleading. 

I  think  it  can,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  be 
said  that,  with  perhaps  one  exception,  these  organiza¬ 
tions  as  they  exist  in  this  country  today  originated 
and  grew  up  on  American  soil ;  and  have  no  con¬ 
nection,  organic  or  spiritual,  with  any  organization 
existing  in  China.  On  the  other  hand  there  is  un¬ 
doubtedly,  historic,  spiritual  and  perhaps  organic 
connection  between  one  of  the  largest  Tongs  in 


216 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


America  and  the  ancient  Triad,  or  Heaven  and 
Earth,  Society  of  China.  Furthermore  those  who 
are  familiar  with  the  history  of  this  notorious  society 
and  the  history  of  the  fighting  Tongs  of  America 
cannot  but  be  impressed  by  the  marked  similarity  of 
many  of  their  highhanded  and  bloody  practices. 

There  are  those  who  claim  that  the  Triad  Society 
is  a  Masonic  Order.  And,  moreover,  there  are  two 
Tongs  in  America  which  style  themselves  Free¬ 
masons,  have  adopted  many  of  the  signs  and  signals 
of  Occidental  Freemasonry,  and  insist  most  strongly 
upon  their  right  to  wear  the  emblem  of  the  Square 
and  Compass.  The  writer  has  nothing  but  the  high¬ 
est  regard  for  the  Masonic  Order  as  it  exists  among 
Occidentals ;  but  he  is  not  himself  a  Mason,  and 
therefore  not  in  the  position  to  challenge  the  right  of 
these  Societies  to  these  claims.  That  challenge  he 
must  leave  to  those  who  are  qualified  to  make  it. 
The  point  and  purpose  of  what  is  here  written  is  to 
show  what  has  been,  and  what  is,  the  history  of  these 
organizations. 

As  for  the  Triad  Society;  it  may  have  served  a 
useful  purpose  from  time  to  time  in  China ;  but  on 
the  whole  its  history  is  not  such  as  can  be  read  with¬ 
out  much  misgiving.  Mr.  William  Stanton,  a  promi¬ 
nent  police  official  in  Hong  Kong,  who  spent  many 
years  in  the  careful  study  of  the  history  of  this 
society,  and  who  was,  by  his  ability  to  speak  and 
read  Chinese  peculiarly  fitted  for  such  a  task,  says,  in 
his  history  of  the  Society : — 

“  For  more  than  a  hundred  years,  through  its 
secret  influences  in  the  Province  in  which  it  has  been 
established,  it  has  been  a  constant  source  of  worry 
and  anxiety  to  officials  entrusted  with  the  preserva¬ 
tion  of  order.  Though  interdicted  by  the  most 
stringent  penal  laws  it  has  continued  to  flourish  and 
to  terrorise  mandarins  and  people  alike.  It  has  made 
itself  obnoxious  to  the  people  on  account  of  its  con¬ 
tinual  acts  of  extortion,  and  through  dread  of  the 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE  217 

consequences  that  would  arise  from  any  appeal  to 
the  authorities  against  it.  The  Government  officials 
have  seen  in  it  a  standing  menace  to  society,  which 
they  have  been  powerless  to  remove  and  afraid  to 
interfere  with.”  Outside  of  China  “  it  has  not  only 
caused  trouble  by  committing  crime  and  screening 
offenders  from  justice,  but  in  consequence  of  the 
members  of  the  various  lodges  disagreeing  with 
each  other  riots  became  frequent  and  were  only 
suppressed  after  much  bloodshed.  In  the  Straits 
Settlements,  where  the  chiefs  of  the  lodges  were  un¬ 
scrupulous  characters,  they  terrorized  the  people  and 
levied  blackmail  on  them  through  a  set  of  black¬ 
guards  whom  they  were  always  able  to  command.” 

Of  the  two  Tongs  which  today  in  America  claim 
to  be  Freemasons;  the  first  was  organized  in  San 
Francisco  in  1849.  It  is  claimed  today  that  this  is 
not  a  Highbinder  Tong.  A  certain  San  Francisco 
attorney  recently  published  a  statement  in  which 
he  said:  “No  organization  could  be  finer  than  the 
.  .  .  Tong,  either  in  its  purpose  or  in  its  method 

of  fulfilling  such  purposes.  Its  members  must  not 
only  believe  in  one  just  and  benevolent  God,  and  in 
no  more,  but  they  must  be  willing  and  ready  to  lay 
down  their  lives  at  a  moment’s  notice  in  the  cause  of 
human  liberty,  and  scores  of  them  have  willingly 
done  so.  They  must  espouse  no  unjust  cause  and 
give  no  countenance  to  evil.  And  yet  this  is  the 
Society  which  issued,  over  its  official  seal,  the  ne¬ 
farious  immoral  and  lawless  instructions  which  are 
quoted  in  the  earlier  part  of  this  chapter. 

Later  there  was  a  split;  and  it  is  claimed  that  at 
that  time  the  highbinder  element  left  this  Tong  and 
formed  the  second  Tong  which  bears  the  name  of 
Freemasons;  and  that  since  that  time  this  first  Tong 
has  not  participated  in  Highbinderism.  It  is  true 
that  this  first  Tong  has  a  better  name  among  the 
Chinese,  and  that  it  has  not  been  engaged  in  any 
Tong  war  for^some  years  ;_but_there  are  many  indi- 


218 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


cations  that  even  now  its  skirts  are  far  from  clear  of 
Highbinderism. 

But  as  for  this  second  so-called  Masonic  Lodge, 
it  is  neither  claimed  for  it,  nor  does  it  claim  for 
itself,  that  it  is  anything  but  a  highbinder  Tong. 
Over  the  door  of  its  headquarters  in  many  Pacific 
Coast  cities  is  the  sign  “  Chinese  Freemasons.”  Its 
members  wear  the  square  and  compass.  Its  head¬ 
quarters  are  styled  Masonic  Temples.  And  yet  this 
Society  is  known  the  country  over  as  one  of  the  two 
most  powerful  and  bloody  fighting  Tongs  in  Amer¬ 
ica.  It  is  constantly  causing  trouble ;  and  is  the 
source  of  continual  concern  and  annoyance  to  the 
authorities.  Its  power  is  tremendous,  and  reaches 
out  into  practically  every  Chinese  Community  in 
the  United  States.  It  is  feared  and  dreaded  by  the 
Chinese.  It  is,  in  short,  one  of  the  worst  of  all  the 
Chinese  Tongs. 

This  chapter  would  not  be  complete  without 
reference  to  some  of  the  activities  of  the  Family 
Tongs  or,  so-called ,  Benevolent  Associations. 

These  Associations  are  composed  of  persons  of 
the  same  surname  or  group  of  surnames;  i.  e.,  same 
family  or  group  of  families.  For  instance,  there  is 
the  Louie  Kwong  Fong  Association,  with  its  coun¬ 
terpart,  the  So  Yuen  Tong.  Membership  in  this 
organization  is  open  to  all  whose  surnames  are  Louie, 
Kwong  or  Fong.  Then  there  is  the  Lau  Kwan 
Cheung  Chu  Association,  with  membership  composed 
of  persons  whose  surnames  are  either  Lau,  Kwan, 
Cheung  or  Chu.  Others  are  the  Chan  Yee  Ng  As¬ 
sociation,  the  Chan  Association  and  the  Wong 
Association,  and  so  on. 

These  Associations  are  organized  ostensibly  for 
benevolent  purposes,  and  as  such  they  have  State 
charters.  They  are  not  classed  as  Highbinder  Tongs, 
and  yet  in  latter  years  many  of  their  activities  have 
savoured  very  strongly  of  “  Highbinderism.” 

Perhaps  the  most  objectionable  feature  of  their 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


219 


activities  in  recent  years  has  been,  and  is,  their  per¬ 
sistent  attempts  at  coercion,  extortion  and  black¬ 
mail.  It  has  been  their  contention  for  years  that  all 
persons  bearing  the  surnames  of  the  families  com¬ 
prising  a  given  organization  must  join  that  organiza¬ 
tion.  When  many  decent  Chinese,  for  reasons  of 
their  own,  refused  to  become  members  of  these 
organizations,  it  was  decreed  by  these  organizations 
that,  whether  they  liked  it  or  not,  all  persons  bearing 
the  surnames  in  question  were  by  reason  of  that 
fact  members  of  such  organizations,  and  as  such 
must  pay  dues  to  these  organizations.  When  these 
demands  were  met  with  refusal  on  the  part  of  indi¬ 
vidual  Chinese,  threats  of  physical  violence  and 
blackmail  were,  and  still  are,  resorted  to.  A  favour¬ 
ite  practice  is  to  wait  until  the  individual  in  question 
is  about  to  return  to  China  and  then  demand  the 
payment  of  a  certain  sum  of  money.  This  demand 
is  usually  made  at  the  dock  just  a  few  hours  before 
the  ship  sails.  The  victim  is  approached  by  “  bul¬ 
lies  ”  sent  to  the  dock  for  that  purpose,  and  he  is  told 
that  he  must  pay  a  certain  sum  of  money.  If  he 
refuses  he  is  threatened  with  physical  violence.  If 
he  then  does  not  yield  these  threats  are  made  good, 
and  unless  there  is  somebody  there  to  take  his  part 
he  pays  up  in  order  to  save  further  trouble.  The 
writer  has  witnessed  dozens  of  such  incidents.  If 
he  is  not  the  kind  that  can  be  frightened  this  way, 
then  a  warrant  is  secured  for  his  arrest  on  some 
trumped-up  charge,  and  the  services  of  a  police  of¬ 
ficer  are  secured  to  take  him  off  the  boat.  After  he 
is  off  the  boat  a  conversation  takes  place,  which  is  all 
in  Chinese,  and  which  the  officers  do  not  understand. 
With  the  prospects  of  his  trip  being  called  off  staring 
him  in  the  face  the  victim  usually  gives  up,  pays 
what  they  ask,  with  an  additional  sum  for  the 
trouble  of  taking  him  off  the  boat,  and  the  officer  is 
told  that  an  agreement  has  been  reached,  and  it  will 
not  be  necessary  to  make  the  arrest.  But  if  he  is 


220 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


very  stubborn  he  is  taken  from  the  dock  and  the  boat 
goes  without  him.  When  the  case  comes  to  trial  it 
is  usually  dismissed  or  thrown  out  of  court ;  but  in 
the  meantime  the  victim’s  plans  have  been  all  broken 
up,  and  his  case  is  held  up  as  an  example  and  warn¬ 
ing  to  others  who  may  be  inclined  to  defy  these 
organizations. 

Actually  hundreds  of  dollars  are  extorted  in  this 
way  from  the  Chinese  boarding  every  boat  which 
leaves  San  Francisco  for  China.  During  recent 
months,  in  response  to  complaints,  the  San  Francisco 
Police  Department  has  rendered  valuable  service  in 
helping  to  eradicate  this  evil.  A  number  of  arrests 
have  been  made;  but  when  the  cases  have  come  into 
court  the  police  judges  in  many  instances  have  not 
understood  the  facts  of  the  situation,  and  attorneys 
have  gone  into  court  to  defend  these  “  bullies,”  claim¬ 
ing  that  they  were  there  to  collect  legitimate  debts. 
The  result  has  been  that  in  most  cases  the  defendants 
have  been  dismissed ;  and  the  condition  at  the  docks 
is  but  little  improved. 

Many  pages  more  might  be  written,  and  incident 
piled  upon  incident,  in  portraying  the  nefarious 
practices  of  these  pernicious  organizations;  but 
sufficient  has  already  been  said  to  convince  the 
reader  of  the  gravity  and  enormity  of  the  situation 
and  of  the  urgent  need  for  a  remedy.  The  ques¬ 
tion  of  importance  is,  what  is  the  remedy? 

Occasionally  some  newspaper  gives  sensational 
publicity  to  these  things ;  or  there  is  a  local  clean  up 
due  to  a  change  in  the  personnel  or  policy  of  some 
police  department;  or  public  sentiment,  brought  to 
a  head  by  some  especially  sensational  development, 
demands  a  reckoning.  But  these  things  are  only; 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


221 


temporary.  They  are  but  sporadic  efforts  to  allevi¬ 
ate  a  condition  which  has  become  too  glaringly  evil 
and  anti-social.  They  are  like  cough  drops,  tooth¬ 
ache  tinctures  and  soothing  syrups  which  offer 
temporary  relief  but  do  not  undertake  to  cure  the 
disease  by  getting  at  the  root  of  the  trouble.  Ah 
Sin  smiles  at  them;  and  he  will  continue  to  smile 
until  his  citadel  is  assailed  and  he  is  put  to  rout. 
And  this  will  not  be  until  the  power  of  the  High¬ 
binder  is  broken,  and  the  Fighting  Tong,  that 
un-American,  anti-social  and  barbarous  institution, 
which  is  the  one  great  menace  to  peace,  prosperity, 
social  and  commercial  progress  in  the  Chinese  Com¬ 
munity  in  America,  is  suppressed  and  outlawed. 
And  this  will  not  happen  until  American  public 
opinion  becomes  strong  enough  to  demand  and 
assure  it. 

It  is  to  such  an  end  and  for  such  a  purpose  that 
this  book  has  been  written.  The  author  wishes  it 
might  have  been  a  brighter  story,  and  is  aware,  as 
a  certain  Chinese  official  has  said,  that  there  are 
many  things  he  might  have  written  about  the 
Chinese  in  America  that  would  have  made  more 
entertaining  reading.  His  purpose,  however,  has 
not  been  to  entertain  his  readers  so  much  as  to  in¬ 
form  them,  stir  them  and  compel  them  to  action. 

Every  lover  of  freedom,  righteousness  and 
decency  in  America  who  is  familiar  with  the  con¬ 
ditions  here  set  forth  is  convinced  that  the  time 
has  come  when  the  American  people  at  large  should 


222 


THE  WAYS  OF  AH  SIN 


be  apprised  of  these  facts,  and  an  attempt  made  to 
enlist  them  in  a  determined  effort  to  meet  this 
situation  which  has  become  intolerable,  and  to  wipe 
out  this  stain  upon  American  civilization. 

Among  the  Chinese  in  America  themselves  the 
better  element,  the  law-abiding,  justice-loving 
group,  is  earnestly  appealing  to  the  American 
people  for  a  righting  of  these  grave  wrongs;  while 
thousands  of  others  who  are  members  of  these 
organizations  because,  upon  their  own  testimony, 
they  dare  not  withdraw  from  them,  would  welcome 
with  rejoicing  any  effort  that  is  made  to  strike  off 
the  shackles  wThich  bind  them. 

Any  effort,  to  be  effective,  must  involve  more 
than  mere  talk,  more  than  expressions  of  sympathy 
and  interest  on  the  part  of  those  who  read  these 
lines.  The  task  of  blotting  out  this  evil  wrill  be  by 
no  means  an  easy  one.  On  the  other  hand  it  is  by 
no  means  impossible.  These  organizations  are  not 
tolerated  in  China.  In  Singapore,  Hong-Kong  and 
Canada  the  British  Government  is  said  to  have 
eradicated  these  evils  by  suppressing  the  High¬ 
binder  Tongs.  What  China  and  Great  Britain  has 
done  America  certainly  can  do. 

Let  the  American  people  speak — as  they  so  w^ell 
know  how — in  no  uncertain  tones.  Let  them  call 
upon  their  Government,  urging  that  the  whole  mat¬ 
ter  of  the  activities  of  Chinese  Secret  Societies  in 
America  be  fearlessly  and  thoroughly  investigated ; 
and  adequate  legal  steps  taken  to  cope  with  the 


THE  CAUSE  AND  THE  CURE 


223 


situation.  As  America  has  dealt  with  the  Black 
Hand  and  the  Vendetta  so  let  her  deal  with  the 
Tong  and  the  Highbinder. 

In  most  instances  local  officials  and  police  officers 
are  as  desirous  as  any  of  changing  these  conditions. 
They  have  in  general  responded  most  readily  to 
calls  for  aid  in  dealing  with  this  trying  situation; 
but  there  is  lacking  that  strong  public  opinion  that 
in  all  such  cases  is  so  needed  to  back  them. 

There  are  many  public-spirited  and  high-minded 
attorneys  who  deplore  these  things.  Let  their 
voices  be  heard.  Let  the  local  bar  associations  dig 
beneath  the  surface  and  bring  to  book  certain 
attorneys  of  another  stripe  who,  for  tempting  fees, 
knowingly  uphold  these  organizations  in  their 
arrogance  and  high-handed  lawlessness. 

The  press  in  all  large  coast  cities,  if  it  would 
give  to  the  reading  public  strong,  accurate  presen¬ 
tations  of  things  as  they  are,  could  become  a 
mighty  factor  in  bringing  about  the  much-needed 
reform.  Let  it  go  even  further,  and  lead  the  cru¬ 
sade  against  these  glaring  evils  by  such  a  frank  and 
fearless  expose  as  shall  fully  arouse  public  opinion. 

Already  there  is  perceptible  a  growing  public 
sentiment  in  this  regard.  May  this  sentiment  in¬ 
crease  and  agitation  persist  until  there  is  won  a 
decided  victory  for  decency,  freedom  and  respect 
for  law  in  every  Chinese  Community  in  the  United 
States  of  America. 

Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


DATE  DUE 

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